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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. file — a document
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. content — happy
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. season — of the year
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pass — a permit
  19. file — a tool
  20. bound — tied together
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — certain
  24. content — the amount

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