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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 116 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. sharp — clever
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. prune — to trim
  7. suit — clothes
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. spell — letters
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bat — the animal
  12. suit — to fit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. spell — a short time
  15. rush — hurry
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. spell — magic
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. wind — moving air
  24. suit — in cards

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