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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 · present · fine · toast · mine · pitcher · bear · season

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. present — the time now
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. present — there
  7. toast — bread
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. season — in sport
  10. fine — high quality
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bear — the animal
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. present — a gift
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. mine — for digging
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. fine — all right
  22. season — of the year
  23. staff — employees
  24. bear — the animal

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