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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 124 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. fall — the season
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. ball — a great time
  7. staff — employees
  8. fall — to drop
  9. band — a ring
  10. pitch — completely
  11. season — of the year
  12. file — a tool
  13. bulb — for light
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bulb — for light
  16. band — a music group
  17. file — a document
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. season — in sport
  22. file — a line of people
  23. staff — employees
  24. season — to add flavour

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