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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. track — to keep track
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. court — for sport
  5. sharp — clever
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. court — of law
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. track — a path
  10. object — an aim
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. court — of a king
  13. track — a song
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pass — a permit
  19. season — in sport
  20. object — a thing
  21. pitch — completely
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. object — to protest

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