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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 124 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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. game — a match
  4. court — of law
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. staff — employees
  11. foot — a measure
  12. court — of a king
  13. pop — music
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. court — for sport
  20. game — wild animals
  21. lie — to recline
  22. pop — soda
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. lie — an untruth

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