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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. object — a thing
  4. season — of the year
  5. firm — steady
  6. season — in sport
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. firm — a company
  12. object — to protest
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. sharp — clever
  17. object — an aim
  18. sharp — with an edge

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