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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. can — a tin
  3. pop — to visit
  4. race — a contest
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. staff — employees
  7. race — the arms race
  8. spell — magic
  9. squash — to crush
  10. race — humankind
  11. can — a tin
  12. pop — music
  13. squash — the sport
  14. spell — a short time
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. spell — letters
  17. date — the fruit
  18. season — of the year
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pop — soda
  21. can — to be able to
  22. staff — a stick
  23. season — in sport
  24. squash — the vegetable

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