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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 116 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. cap — a hat
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. season — of the year
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. stand — to bear
  9. staff — a stick
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. cap — of ice
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. court — of law
  16. court — for sport
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. season — in sport
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. staff — employees
  21. cap — a lid
  22. court — of a king
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. nail — for a hammer

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