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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. game — wild animals
  7. squash — the sport
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mug — a face
  10. game — a match
  11. staff — a stick
  12. squash — to crush
  13. staff — employees
  14. last — finally
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. staff — employees
  17. dip — to sink
  18. last — to go on
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. last — final
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. mug — to rob

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