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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. last — finally
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — all right
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. season — of the year
  14. bank — for money
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. fine — high quality
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. bank — of a river
  19. last — final
  20. sharp — clever
  21. last — to go on
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bank — for money

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