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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. season — of the year
  3. last — finally
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. chip — to eat
  6. last — to go on
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. season — in sport
  9. staff — employees
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. staff — employees
  12. prune — to trim
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. last — final
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. chip — for betting
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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