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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. season — of the year
  3. chest — a box
  4. staff — employees
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. game — wild animals
  9. ground — crushed
  10. rash — hasty
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. game — a match
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. ground — the earth
  20. staff — a stick
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. season — in sport
  23. ground — a position
  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