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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. suit — in cards
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. game — a match
  5. season — in sport
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bass — the fish
  8. last — finally
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. last — to go on
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bear — the animal
  16. suit — to fit
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bear — the animal
  19. season — of the year
  20. suit — clothes
  21. last — final
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bass — low music

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