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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. spell — a short time
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. court — of law
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. clip — a video
  10. court — of a king
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. spell — magic
  14. clip — to cut
  15. season — of the year
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. object — an aim
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. clip — for paper
  20. spell — letters
  21. object — to protest
  22. object — a thing
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. court — for sport

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