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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 116 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — music
  5. staff — a stick
  6. swing — to play on
  7. staff — employees
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. root — the cause
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. season — of the year
  13. spell — letters
  14. key — the most important part
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. spell — magic
  18. root — of a plant
  19. key — for a lock
  20. root — of a word
  21. key — in music
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. spell — a short time
  24. rush — hurry

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