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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. lie — to recline
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. staff — a stick
  6. club — for dancing
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. staff — employees
  12. club — a group
  13. pitch — completely
  14. shower — rain
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. season — in sport
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. shower — to wash
  22. staff — employees
  23. season — of the year
  24. pitch — a sports field

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