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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. season — of the year
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. sharp — clever
  5. file — a tool
  6. mate — a friend
  7. lean — to bend
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. spring — a coil
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. file — a document
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. spring — of water
  18. can — to be able to
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. season — in sport
  22. file — a line of people
  23. spring — the season
  24. lean — thin

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