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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
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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: staff · race · last · bowl · dip · chair · fine · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. last — finally
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. fine — all right
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. staff — a stick
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — a contest
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. last — to go on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. dip — to sink
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. last — final
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. staff — employees
  23. race — the arms race
  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