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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. season — of the year
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. race — humankind
  10. mine — for digging
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — a contest
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. sharp — clever
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. safe — a strongbox

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