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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · chest · tube · racket · mug · season · perch · rule

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. season — in sport
  4. perch — the fish
  5. chest — of your body
  6. season — of the year
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. mug — a cup
  11. rule — a law
  12. staff — employees
  13. tube — a container
  14. chest — a box
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mug — a face
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. chest — of your body
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. staff — employees
  21. rule — government
  22. tube — the underground
  23. staff — a stick
  24. racket — for tennis

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