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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 116 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. season — of the year
  4. bound — tied together
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — clever
  9. pound — a weight
  10. root — of a plant
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bound — certain
  15. root — the cause
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fine — all right
  18. bound — obliged
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — in sport
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. root — of a word

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