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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pop — music
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mark — a grade
  6. club — for golf
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. club — for dancing
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. staff — a stick
  15. staff — employees
  16. club — a group
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. pop — soda

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