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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. band — a music group
  3. race — humankind
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. mate — a partner
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. club — a group
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — for golf
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. sharp — clever
  14. season — in sport
  15. mate — to breed
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bore — to tire
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — the arms race
  21. bore — to drill
  22. mate — a friend
  23. band — a ring
  24. bore — gave birth

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