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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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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pitch — completely
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. rash — hasty
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. rash — a series
  15. row — a line
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. season — of the year
  18. spell — letters
  19. row — to paddle
  20. saw — the tool
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. spell — magic
  23. sharp — clever
  24. spell — a short time

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