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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. current — happening now
  4. season — in sport
  5. mate — a partner
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. mate — to breed
  9. clip — for paper
  10. current — of water
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. mate — a friend
  13. season — of the year
  14. clip — to cut
  15. pit — a hole
  16. clip — a video
  17. pit — in a race
  18. wake — a trail
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — clever
  22. current — electric
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. toast — bread

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