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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  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. staff — employees
  2. season — of the year
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rock — music
  5. file — a line of people
  6. suit — to fit
  7. suit — in cards
  8. file — a tool
  9. season — in sport
  10. file — a document
  11. rock — a stone
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bass — the fish
  14. rest — what's left
  15. staff — employees
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rest — a break
  18. staff — a stick
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. rest — what's left
  23. suit — clothes
  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