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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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. staff — a stick
  4. rock — music
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. staff — employees
  14. rock — a stone
  15. game — a match
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. perch — the fish
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. staff — employees
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. fall — to drop

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