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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. game — wild animals
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. mug — a face
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. pit — in a race
  7. mug — to rob
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. squash — the sport
  11. pit — a hole
  12. wax — to grow
  13. game — a match
  14. mug — a cup
  15. sharp — clever
  16. ball — a great time
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. squash — to crush
  20. ball — a dance
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — to add flavour

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