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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 116 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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. season — in sport
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. cue — a hint
  6. dip — to sink
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. cue — for pool
  11. staff — employees
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. mine — for digging
  16. pop — music
  17. staff — employees
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. cue — a signal
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — soda
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. racket — a loud noise

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