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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: nail · kick · pass · mark · branch · sharp · season · race

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. season — in sport
  5. kick — in football
  6. sharp — clever
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. race — a contest
  10. mark — a trace
  11. race — the arms race
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. race — humankind
  14. branch — a division
  15. season — of the year
  16. mark — a grade
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. pass — a permit
  24. mark — to pay attention

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