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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 120 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. cue — a hint
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. degree — from a university
  9. root — of a word
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. cue — a signal
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bat — the animal
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. staff — a stick
  18. root — the cause
  19. degree — temperature
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. root — of a plant
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. kick — in football
  24. cue — for pool

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