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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. mug — a face
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bass — the fish
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. mug — a cup
  9. season — in sport
  10. chair — a leader
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. mug — to rob
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bass — low music
  24. squash — to crush

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