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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. wake — a trail
  3. staff — employees
  4. drill — the tool
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. season — of the year
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. staff — a stick
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cell — in biology
  13. fork — in a road
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. drill — army training
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. track — a path
  20. track — a song
  21. drill — a practice
  22. cell — a phone
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. staff — employees

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