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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — government
  5. roll — a cake
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. bat — the animal
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. charge — electricity
  12. pit — in a race
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. roll — a list
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. charge — a price
  18. pound — a weight
  19. rule — a law
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. pit — a hole
  22. charge — in control
  23. staff — employees
  24. kid — to tease

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