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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 124 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. spell — magic
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — of the year
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. cue — a signal
  10. sharp — clever
  11. season — in sport
  12. spell — letters
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. cue — a hint
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — in a race
  18. cue — for pool
  19. spell — a short time
  20. rush — hurry
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. foot — a measure
  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