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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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. present — a gift
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. present — there
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. present — the time now
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. season — in sport
  19. bound — tied together
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bound — certain
  24. racket — for tennis

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