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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. shower — rain
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. season — in sport
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. squash — to crush
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. rash — a series
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. rash — hasty
  16. wind — moving air
  17. season — of the year
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wind — moving air
  20. squash — the sport
  21. shower — to wash
  22. wound — an injury
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. rash — on the skin

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