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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. cap — of ice
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. file — a tool
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cap — a hat
  8. rock — a stone
  9. branch — a division
  10. mug — a face
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. file — a line of people
  13. mug — to rob
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. rock — music
  16. cap — a lid
  17. mug — a cup
  18. file — a document
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. branch — of a bank

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