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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 124 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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. firm — a company
  3. staff — employees
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. firm — decided
  7. spell — magic
  8. staff — employees
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. court — of law
  11. firm — steady
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — letters
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. season — of the year
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — hurry
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — for sport
  21. season — in sport
  22. bat — the animal
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. season — to add flavour

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