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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — of the year
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. mate — to breed
  7. object — a thing
  8. season — in sport
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. board — to get on
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mate — a partner
  14. sharp — clever
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — a committee
  17. mate — a friend
  18. object — an aim

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