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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. hand — help
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. season — in sport
  5. pop — music
  6. charge — a price
  7. firm — a company
  8. season — of the year
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — all right
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — steady
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. pop — soda
  19. charge — electricity
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. sharp — clever
  22. pop — to visit
  23. charge — in control
  24. season — to add flavour

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