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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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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. suit — clothes
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. suit — to fit
  6. pound — a weight
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. file — a document
  9. spell — magic
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. board — a committee
  12. saw — the tool
  13. board — to get on
  14. file — a line of people
  15. staff — employees
  16. season — in sport
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. spell — letters
  19. season — of the year
  20. spell — a short time
  21. saw — the tool
  22. suit — in cards
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. file — a tool

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