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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. staff — employees
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. game — a match
  8. staff — employees
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. staff — a stick
  12. net — after costs
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — in sport
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. game — wild animals
  17. season — of the year
  18. straw — dry grass

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