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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. court — for sport
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. staff — a stick
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. staff — employees
  8. bank — of a river
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. court — of law
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bank — for money
  18. bat — the animal
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bank — for money
  21. sharp — clever
  22. court — of a king
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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