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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. club — for golf
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. plane — a tool
  7. season — of the year
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. branch — a division
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. club — a group
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. sharp — clever
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — in cards
  24. plane — an aircraft

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