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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 116 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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. file — a document
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. staff — employees
  5. swing — music
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. scale — in music
  8. file — a line of people
  9. season — in sport
  10. rock — music
  11. last — final
  12. scale — size or range
  13. staff — a stick
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. last — finally
  17. swing — in golf
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. file — a tool
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. last — to go on
  22. swing — to play on
  23. staff — employees
  24. racket — for tennis

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