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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. staff — employees
  5. spring — of water
  6. bass — low music
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. spring — the season
  10. bound — certain
  11. bass — the fish
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bound — obliged
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. staff — employees
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. staff — a stick
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. racket — for tennis

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