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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. suit — clothes
  4. staff — employees
  5. net — for catching
  6. season — in sport
  7. content — happy
  8. suit — to fit
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — size or range
  11. net — in sport
  12. season — of the year
  13. content — the amount
  14. swing — music
  15. dip — to sink
  16. scale — in music
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. swing — to play on
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. swing — in golf
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. net — after costs
  24. suit — in cards

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