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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 120 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. mark — a grade
  4. sharp — clever
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. swing — music
  7. stem — to come from
  8. season — of the year
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — in sport
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — for digging
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — in golf
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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