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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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. net — after costs
  4. staff — employees
  5. ground — the earth
  6. pit — in a race
  7. season — of the year
  8. rock — a stone
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. rock — music
  11. pit — a hole
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. staff — employees
  14. club — for dancing
  15. net — in sport
  16. ground — a position
  17. staff — a stick
  18. club — for golf
  19. band — a music group
  20. season — in sport
  21. ground — crushed
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. net — for catching
  24. band — a ring

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