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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. season — of the year
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. present — the time now
  5. perch — the fish
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. file — a document
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. season — in sport
  12. file — a tool
  13. present — a gift
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. present — there
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. file — a line of people

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