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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. cell — a phone
  3. sharp — clever
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bulb — for light
  11. suit — to fit
  12. suit — clothes
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. season — of the year
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. suit — in cards
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. season — in sport

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