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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cabinet · sharp · stick · cap · bound · wax · game · march

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bound — certain
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. game — a match
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bound — tied together
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. march — music
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bound — obliged
  17. march — the month
  18. cap — of ice
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — a hat
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com