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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 124 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. season — in sport
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. object — to protest
  6. last — to go on
  7. sharp — clever
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. clip — for paper
  10. last — final
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. last — finally
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. object — an aim
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. object — a thing
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. clip — to cut
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. clip — a video
  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