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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: staff · racket · hand · perch · dip · capital · bulb · season

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. staff — employees
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. staff — a stick
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. season — of the year
  10. capital — a city
  11. perch — the fish
  12. bulb — for light
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. dip — to sink
  16. staff — employees
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bulb — for light
  20. capital — money
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. hand — help
  24. season — to add flavour

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