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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. staff — employees
  3. season — in sport
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. mug — a cup
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. swing — in golf
  9. file — a line of people
  10. swing — to play on
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. staff — employees
  13. season — of the year
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. mug — a face
  16. swing — music
  17. file — a tool
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — a signal
  20. mug — to rob
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. cue — for pool
  23. staff — a stick
  24. file — a document

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