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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.

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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: pit · suit · season · branch · last · sharp · foot · game

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. suit — to fit
  3. game — a match
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. last — final
  6. suit — clothes
  7. season — in sport
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. suit — in cards
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. branch — a division
  12. pit — a hole
  13. season — of the year
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. pit — in a race
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. sharp — clever
  21. last — to go on
  22. game — wild animals
  23. last — finally
  24. foot — the bottom

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