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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. craft — boats
  3. hand — help
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. roll — a list
  6. rash — a series
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. object — an aim
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. object — to protest
  17. roll — a cake
  18. staff — employees
  19. hand — in cards
  20. craft — a skill
  21. pass — a permit
  22. staff — a stick
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. object — a thing

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