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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 120 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. object — a thing
  3. mate — a friend
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bass — low music
  6. mate — to breed
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. drill — the tool
  9. object — to protest
  10. chair — a leader
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. object — an aim
  13. mate — a partner
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. season — of the year
  23. drill — army training
  24. bass — the fish

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