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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. can — to be able to
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mate — a friend
  6. suit — in cards
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. sharp — clever
  9. suit — clothes
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. can — a tin
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. suit — to fit
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. season — in sport
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. date — the fruit
  18. mate — to breed
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. mate — a partner
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. can — a tin

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