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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. spell — letters
  3. root — the cause
  4. net — for catching
  5. bass — low music
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. wake — a trail
  8. staff — employees
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. vault — a safe
  11. can — a tin
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bass — the fish
  15. spell — magic
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. net — in sport
  18. staff — a stick
  19. can — to be able to
  20. root — of a word
  21. can — a tin
  22. root — of a plant
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. net — after costs

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