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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 116 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pass — a permit
  6. land — a country
  7. pop — music
  8. land — ground
  9. club — for dancing
  10. staff — a stick
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — of the year
  13. club — for golf
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. chair — a leader
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. staff — employees
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. land — to come down
  22. staff — employees
  23. club — a group
  24. pass — to succeed

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