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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. staff — employees
  3. season — in sport
  4. swing — music
  5. season — of the year
  6. date — the fruit
  7. suit — to fit
  8. saw — the tool
  9. suit — clothes
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. swing — in golf
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. content — happy
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. suit — in cards
  17. saw — the tool
  18. prune — to trim
  19. staff — a stick
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. prune — to trim
  22. content — the amount
  23. staff — employees
  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