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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. mug — to rob
  4. staff — employees
  5. object — a thing
  6. march — the month
  7. staff — employees
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bat — the animal
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mug — a cup
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. object — to protest
  21. object — an aim
  22. mug — a face
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. dip — a sauce

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