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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — army training
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — clever
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — of the year
  8. board — to get on
  9. season — in sport
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. net — in sport
  14. squash — the sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — a committee
  20. net — for catching
  21. squash — to crush
  22. stem — to come from
  23. drill — a practice
  24. squash — the vegetable

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