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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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. branch — of a bank
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. swing — in golf
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. mine — for digging
  9. fork — in a road
  10. present — a gift
  11. season — of the year
  12. swing — to play on
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — in sport
  15. saw — the tool
  16. present — there
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. present — the time now
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. swing — music
  23. branch — a division
  24. fork — a garden tool

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