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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: march · land · suit · chip · sharp · wave · face · ruler

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. suit — to fit
  3. march — music
  4. suit — clothes
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. suit — in cards
  8. face — to confront
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. march — the month
  11. chip — to eat
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. face — to point toward
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. sharp — clever
  17. face — part of the head
  18. land — to come down
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. chip — for betting
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. march — the month
  24. wave — of the sea

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