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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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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: season · mark · present · swing · rock · foot · last · cabinet

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. rock — a stone
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mark — a trace
  13. present — the time now
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. mark — a grade
  16. foot — a measure
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. present — a gift
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. season — of the year
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. last — to go on
  23. present — there
  24. rock — music

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