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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. staff — a stick
  3. pop — soda
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. swing — to play on
  6. net — in sport
  7. staff — employees
  8. net — for catching
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. season — in sport
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — music
  15. bear — the animal
  16. net — after costs
  17. swing — in golf
  18. staff — employees
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. season — of the year
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pass — a permit
  24. swing — music

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