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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. last — finally
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bank — of a river
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. last — final
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bank — for money
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. fork — in a road
  19. last — to go on
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. season — in sport
  22. kick — in football
  23. season — of the year
  24. bank — for money

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