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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 120 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  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. sharp — exactly
  3. shower — to wash
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. bulb — for light
  7. sharp — clever
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. foot — a measure
  10. season — in sport
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. wind — moving air
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. craft — a skill
  21. shower — rain
  22. craft — boats
  23. bulb — for light
  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