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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. club — for golf
  3. rush — hurry
  4. season — of the year
  5. land — a country
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. pitch — completely
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. land — to come down
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for dancing
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. land — ground
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. chair — a leader
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. season — in sport
  24. jam — in traffic

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