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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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. saw — the tool
  4. row — a line
  5. season — of the year
  6. vault — a safe
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. staff — employees
  9. season — in sport
  10. file — a line of people
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bulb — for light
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. file — a document
  16. bulb — for light
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. swing — to play on
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — to paddle
  22. swing — in golf
  23. file — a tool
  24. swing — music

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