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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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. sharp — exactly
  4. net — for catching
  5. track — to keep track
  6. season — in sport
  7. object — a thing
  8. track — a path
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. net — in sport
  12. game — a match
  13. fine — high quality
  14. game — wild animals
  15. net — after costs
  16. squash — the sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. fine — all right
  20. squash — to crush
  21. object — an aim
  22. track — a song
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. object — to protest

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