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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. file — a tool
  3. last — final
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. last — to go on
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. last — finally
  9. file — a document
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. pass — a permit
  16. club — for golf
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. file — a line of people
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bulb — for light
  22. club — a group
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bulb — for light

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