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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. staff — employees
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. ball — a dance
  7. saw — the tool
  8. staff — employees
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — for paper
  13. shower — rain
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. shower — to wash
  17. season — of the year
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. saw — the tool
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. ball — a great time
  22. clip — a video
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. staff — a stick

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