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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. file — a line of people
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. suit — to fit
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. season — in sport
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. suit — in cards
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. file — a tool
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. season — of the year
  19. file — a document
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. suit — clothes
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — to handle

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