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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. staff — a stick
  4. season — in sport
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. cap — a hat
  7. season — of the year
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. mate — to breed
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. game — wild animals
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. cap — of ice
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. mate — a partner
  20. staff — employees
  21. game — a match
  22. staff — employees
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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