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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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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. saw — the tool
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. saw — the tool
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. cap — a hat
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. staff — employees
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. season — of the year
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. staff — a stick
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — from a university
  20. foot — a measure
  21. season — in sport
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. pass — a permit
  24. degree — temperature

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