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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. shower — to wash
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bat — the animal
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a match
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. shower — rain
  16. staff — employees
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. mate — a partner
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a great time
  24. mate — to breed

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