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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. season — of the year
  3. staff — a stick
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. content — the amount
  7. season — in sport
  8. suit — in cards
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. object — to protest
  11. content — happy
  12. object — an aim
  13. suit — clothes
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. suit — to fit
  19. pitch — completely
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. racket — for tennis

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