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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. rash — a series
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. sharp — clever
  9. season — in sport
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. rash — hasty
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — for betting
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wound — an injury
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. prune — the fruit

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