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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. band — a ring
  3. present — there
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. season — of the year
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. scale — size or range
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. present — the time now
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. season — in sport
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a music group
  18. land — ground
  19. present — a gift
  20. staff — employees
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — a country
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. staff — employees

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