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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 120 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — clever
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fine — all right
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bore — to tire
  8. lean — to bend
  9. season — of the year
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. season — in sport
  15. fine — high quality
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bore — to drill
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. tear — from crying

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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