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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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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. staff — employees
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stand — to bear
  9. season — of the year
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. staff — a stick
  13. season — in sport
  14. deal — to handle
  15. staff — employees
  16. rush — hurry
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. rush — a thrill

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