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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. spring — the season
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. spring — a coil
  5. rule — government
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. stand — to bear
  10. sharp — clever
  11. net — for catching
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. spring — of water
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rule — a law
  19. wax — to grow
  20. season — of the year
  21. net — in sport
  22. fine — all right
  23. season — in sport
  24. net — after costs

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