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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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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: root · can · season · file · mark · sharp · bound · pit

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bound — obliged
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. mark — a trace
  5. season — in sport
  6. file — a tool
  7. pit — in a race
  8. bound — certain
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — of a plant
  11. can — to be able to
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bound — tied together
  15. season — of the year
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. root — the cause
  19. file — a line of people
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. file — a document
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. pit — a hole

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