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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. suit — clothes
  3. suit — to fit
  4. foot — a measure
  5. staff — a stick
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. cold — an illness
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. pop — soda
  12. wound — an injury
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. staff — employees
  15. wound — an injury
  16. staff — employees
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. suit — in cards
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. band — a music group
  21. cold — not warm
  22. pop — music
  23. band — a ring
  24. cold — the Cold War

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