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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. game — wild animals
  6. sharp — clever
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bulb — for light
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. staff — a stick
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — a division
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. season — in sport
  18. staff — employees
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bulb — for light
  22. game — a match
  23. staff — employees
  24. sharp — with an edge

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