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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. hand — in cards
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — to cut
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. toast — bread
  10. staff — employees
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. cue — for pool
  13. season — of the year
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — letters
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. cue — a signal
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. clip — a video
  22. hand — help
  23. spell — a short time
  24. cue — a hint

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