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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. mug — a face
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mug — a cup
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. race — the arms race
  11. race — a contest
  12. mug — to rob
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. race — humankind
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. fork — in a road
  20. sharp — clever
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. bowl — a dish

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