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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. season — of the year
  5. staff — employees
  6. object — to protest
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. season — in sport
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. cap — a lid
  11. current — of water
  12. cap — of ice
  13. current — happening now
  14. staff — a stick
  15. object — an aim
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. content — the amount
  18. game — a match
  19. content — happy
  20. object — a thing
  21. current — electric
  22. game — wild animals
  23. cap — a hat
  24. staff — employees

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