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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 116 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. net — for catching
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pop — soda
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. sharp — clever
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — a safe
  13. net — after costs
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. season — of the year
  17. net — in sport
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. branch — a division
  22. pop — to visit
  23. lie — to recline
  24. pop — music

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