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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. season — in sport
  4. chip — to eat
  5. suit — to fit
  6. march — the month
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. chip — for betting
  9. vault — a safe
  10. file — a document
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. suit — clothes
  14. march — music
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. staff — employees
  17. file — a line of people
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. season — of the year
  20. suit — in cards
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. file — a tool
  24. march — the month

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