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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — of the year
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. track — a path
  7. present — there
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. sharp — clever
  10. track — a song
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. present — the time now
  16. fork — in a road
  17. kick — in football
  18. present — a gift
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — a division
  21. season — in sport
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. track — to keep track
  24. fork — a garden tool

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