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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pop — music
  3. staff — a stick
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. ball — a great time
  6. season — in sport
  7. key — the most important part
  8. branch — a division
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. wind — moving air
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pop — to visit
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. pop — soda
  18. key — in music
  19. season — of the year
  20. staff — employees
  21. key — for a lock
  22. staff — employees
  23. squash — the sport
  24. wind — moving air

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