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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bass — the fish
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bass — low music
  5. charge — electricity
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. file — a document
  9. hand — help
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. charge — a price
  16. charge — in control
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. file — a line of people
  20. staff — employees
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. file — a tool
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. staff — a stick

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