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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mark · season · bowl · sharp · dip · swing · land · cell

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. land — to come down
  3. season — of the year
  4. dip — to sink
  5. sharp — clever
  6. land — a country
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. land — ground
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. swing — music
  13. mark — a grade
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. mark — a trace
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. season — in sport
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. cell — a phone
  23. swing — in golf
  24. cell — in biology

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