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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 120 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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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: bear · squash · pop · swing · cap · chair · season · sharp

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. cap — of ice
  3. sharp — clever
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. pop — music
  8. bear — the animal
  9. chair — a leader
  10. cap — a hat
  11. squash — the sport
  12. pop — to visit
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bear — the animal
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — in sport
  17. pop — soda
  18. swing — to play on
  19. cap — a lid
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. squash — to crush
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — in golf

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