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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 120 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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bear — the animal
  3. ball — a great time
  4. season — in sport
  5. staff — employees
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. ball — a dance
  9. row — a line
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. mine — for digging
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. season — of the year
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bulb — for light
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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