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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. season — in sport
  3. snap — to click
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. staff — employees
  6. swing — in golf
  7. mark — a trace
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mug — a face
  10. craft — boats
  11. game — a match
  12. mark — a grade
  13. staff — a stick
  14. mug — a cup
  15. swing — music
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. swing — to play on
  19. staff — employees
  20. craft — a skill
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. mug — to rob
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. season — of the year

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