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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. object — to protest
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. face — part of the head
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. face — to confront
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. shower — to wash
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. object — a thing
  13. bat — the animal
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. shower — rain
  17. object — an aim
  18. face — to point toward

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