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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. dip — to sink
  3. last — to go on
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. season — of the year
  7. staff — employees
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — a stick
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. last — finally
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. mine — for digging
  17. club — for golf
  18. season — in sport
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. last — final
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. club — for dancing

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