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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: season · sharp · bass · mark · staff · saw · leaves · game

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. season — of the year
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mark — a trace
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bass — the fish
  10. game — wild animals
  11. staff — employees
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. game — a match
  14. staff — a stick
  15. mark — a grade
  16. season — in sport
  17. bass — low music
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — clever
  22. staff — employees
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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