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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. tube — the underground
  4. season — in sport
  5. game — a match
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. fork — in a road
  12. lean — to bend
  13. ground — crushed
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. ground — a position
  19. tube — a container
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. sharp — clever
  22. stand — to bear
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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