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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. staff — employees
  7. game — a match
  8. toast — bread
  9. game — wild animals
  10. staff — a stick
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. staff — employees
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. season — in sport
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. branch — a division
  18. pit — in a race
  19. season — of the year
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pit — a hole
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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