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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 116 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. root — of a word
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. mug — a face
  6. staff — employees
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. mug — a cup
  9. root — the cause
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bass — low music
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. root — of a plant
  16. mug — to rob
  17. deal — to handle
  18. bat — 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