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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. mate — a partner
  6. march — the month
  7. mate — a friend
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. march — the month
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. mate — to breed
  12. rest — a break
  13. pitch — completely
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. rest — what's left
  16. craft — boats
  17. rest — what's left
  18. land — ground
  19. march — music
  20. land — a country
  21. land — to come down
  22. craft — a skill
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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