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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. board — to get on
  5. perch — the fish
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. track — to keep track
  9. season — of the year
  10. mate — to breed
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mate — a partner
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. mate — a friend
  15. season — in sport
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mark — a grade
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. track — a path
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. board — a committee
  22. track — a song
  23. mark — a trace
  24. board — a flat piece

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