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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: tear · last · wake · dip · stick · march · sharp · suit

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. suit — in cards
  3. last — final
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — clever
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. dip — to sink
  9. last — to go on
  10. suit — clothes
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. march — music
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. march — the month
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. tear — from crying
  17. march — the month
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. last — finally
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wake — a trail
  22. suit — to fit
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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