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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. content — the amount
  3. stand — to bear
  4. staff — a stick
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for dancing
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — help
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. staff — employees
  17. club — for golf
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. prune — to trim
  22. content — happy
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. hand — in cards

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