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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 · staff · cue · pit · object · bear · cell · net

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. staff — employees
  3. object — a thing
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bear — the animal
  6. net — for catching
  7. pit — a hole
  8. net — in sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cell — in biology
  14. staff — a stick
  15. object — to protest
  16. cue — a signal
  17. net — after costs
  18. pit — in a race
  19. object — an aim
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. staff — employees
  24. season — in sport

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