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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. present — the time now
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. present — a gift
  14. sharp — clever
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. present — there
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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