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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. season — in sport
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. band — a music group
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. band — a ring
  8. pitch — completely
  9. mine — for digging
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. season — of the year
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. branch — a division
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. chest — of your body

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