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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · snap · season · pop · cell · bound · sharp · root

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. mate — to breed
  3. pop — music
  4. snap — to click
  5. season — in sport
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — soda
  9. season — of the year
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — tied together
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. mate — a partner
  16. root — of a plant
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a word
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bound — certain
  22. sharp — clever
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — a phone

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