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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. staff — employees
  4. bound — obliged
  5. season — of the year
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. staff — employees
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bound — tied together
  12. saw — the tool
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. march — the month
  21. bound — certain
  22. staff — a stick
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. season — in sport

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