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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: stick · content · season · date · bore · hide · staff · racket

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. season — in sport
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. content — the amount
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bore — to tire
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. season — of the year
  16. date — the fruit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. content — happy
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bore — to drill

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