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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. season — of the year
  4. staff — a stick
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — hasty
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. staff — employees
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. dip — to sink
  15. staff — employees
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — in sport
  18. game — wild animals

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