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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. march — the month
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. object — a thing
  5. sharp — clever
  6. shower — to wash
  7. field — a subject
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. object — an aim
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. field — for sport
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chip — for betting
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. object — to protest
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — a leader
  21. season — in sport
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. field — farmland
  24. chip — to eat

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