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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. snap — to click
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. staff — employees
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bound — certain
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bound — tied together
  18. staff — employees

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