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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bass — low music
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. row — a line
  8. row — to paddle
  9. mark — a trace
  10. season — of the year
  11. court — of law
  12. season — in sport
  13. last — to go on
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. object — a thing
  17. bass — the fish
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. last — finally
  20. last — final
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. mark — a grade
  23. object — to protest
  24. sharp — clever

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