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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — there
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. season — in sport
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. wound — an injury
  10. game — a match
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. rule — government
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. game — wild animals
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. present — the time now
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. season — of the year
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rule — a law
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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