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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: wave · bear · clip · content · fine · season · sharp · mate

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. content — happy
  6. bear — the animal
  7. fine — high quality
  8. clip — to cut
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. mate — to breed
  11. season — in sport
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. mate — a partner
  15. clip — for paper
  16. content — the amount
  17. sharp — clever
  18. clip — a video
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. bear — the animal
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. mate — a friend
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. season — to add flavour

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