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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. scale — in music
  3. content — happy
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. staff — employees
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. scale — size or range
  8. mug — to rob
  9. season — in sport
  10. squash — to crush
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. mug — a face
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. staff — a stick
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mug — a cup
  17. season — of the year
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. wind — moving air
  20. staff — employees
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. content — the amount
  23. wind — moving air
  24. sharp — exactly

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