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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. season — of the year
  3. sharp — clever
  4. rash — a series
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — all right
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. object — an aim
  10. ball — a great time
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. season — in sport
  13. rash — hasty
  14. pop — to visit
  15. ball — a dance
  16. pop — music
  17. object — to protest
  18. ground — the earth
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. fine — high quality
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — a position
  24. pop — soda

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