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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 120 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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. pop — music
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. press — newspapers
  7. scale — in music
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. press — a publisher
  10. deal — to handle
  11. pop — soda
  12. press — to push
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. staff — a stick
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. pop — to visit

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