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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. season — of the year
  7. bark — to shout
  8. file — a document
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. march — music
  13. fork — in a road
  14. file — a line of people
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. march — the month
  17. file — a tool
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. sharp — clever
  21. march — the month
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. rush — hurry

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