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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. swing — in golf
  4. suit — in cards
  5. cue — a signal
  6. fork — in a road
  7. swing — music
  8. ground — crushed
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. suit — to fit
  11. swing — to play on
  12. cue — for pool
  13. suit — clothes
  14. cue — a hint
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. ground — a position
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — help
  19. ground — the earth
  20. capital — a city
  21. hand — in cards
  22. capital — money
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — a garden tool

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