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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: fine · chest · staff · cabinet · spell · pitch · season · content

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. staff — employees
  3. spell — magic
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. pitch — completely
  7. fine — high quality
  8. chest — a box
  9. spell — letters
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. content — happy
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. fine — all right
  18. chest — of your body
  19. staff — a stick
  20. season — in sport
  21. content — the amount
  22. spell — a short time
  23. season — of the year
  24. staff — employees

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