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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. spell — a short time
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. spell — letters
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. present — the time now
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. season — in sport
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bat — the animal
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — there
  20. sharp — clever
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. saw — the tool
  23. spell — magic
  24. sharp — with an edge

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