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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. wind — moving air
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. pitch — completely
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. pit — a hole
  7. wind — moving air
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. kid — child
  14. season — in sport
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. kid — to tease
  17. rest — what's left
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. pit — in a race
  20. craft — a skill
  21. craft — boats
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. season — of the year

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