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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. saw — the tool
  5. degree — from a university
  6. charge — in control
  7. charge — electricity
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bank — of a river
  11. branch — a division
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bank — for money
  14. wind — moving air
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. sharp — clever
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bank — for money
  19. saw — the tool
  20. charge — a price
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. wind — moving air
  23. branch — of a tree
  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