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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · racket · object · sharp · pass · last · mark · season

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. last — finally
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. season — in sport
  9. object — an aim
  10. last — to go on
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. object — a thing
  13. mark — a trace
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. object — to protest
  17. pass — a permit
  18. sharp — clever
  19. last — final
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mine — for digging

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