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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.

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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. firm — steady
  5. suit — in cards
  6. suit — to fit
  7. fine — all right
  8. swing — to play on
  9. suit — clothes
  10. cell — in biology
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. season — of the year
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. firm — decided
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — a phone
  19. season — in sport
  20. swing — in golf
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. staff — employees
  24. swing — music

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