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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. mate — a friend
  3. season — in sport
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. cold — an illness
  6. mate — to breed
  7. last — to go on
  8. mate — a partner
  9. staff — employees
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. staff — employees
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. staff — a stick
  14. last — finally
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. last — final
  17. drill — a practice
  18. cold — not warm
  19. season — of the year
  20. suit — to fit
  21. drill — army training
  22. suit — clothes
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. drill — the tool

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