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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 124 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. staff — employees
  4. squash — to crush
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — to come from
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. season — of the year
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. season — in sport
  14. wind — moving air
  15. staff — employees
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. sharp — clever
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. staff — a stick
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. squash — the sport
  24. wind — moving air

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