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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. staff — a stick
  4. hand — in cards
  5. season — of the year
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. roll — a list
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. staff — employees
  11. fine — high quality
  12. season — in sport
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. fine — all right
  18. hand — help
  19. roll — a cake
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. staff — employees
  22. wax — to grow
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. season — to add flavour

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