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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. mug — to rob
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. game — a match
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. mug — a cup
  12. season — in sport
  13. band — a music group
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. mug — a face
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a ring
  18. season — of the year

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