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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. can — to be able to
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. current — electric
  5. season — in sport
  6. current — of water
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — completely
  9. can — a tin
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — the earth
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. mark — a trace
  16. season — of the year
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. can — a tin
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. current — happening now
  21. ground — a position
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bark — to shout
  24. mark — a grade

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