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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. pop — music
  3. staff — employees
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. stand — to bear
  6. ball — a dance
  7. season — of the year
  8. degree — from a university
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. staff — a stick
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. degree — an amount
  14. pop — to visit
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the sport
  18. staff — employees
  19. degree — temperature
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. pop — soda

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