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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 116 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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bear — the animal
  4. deal — to handle
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — rain
  7. net — after costs
  8. season — of the year
  9. staff — employees
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. net — for catching
  12. season — in sport
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bear — the animal
  15. swing — in golf
  16. net — in sport
  17. swing — music
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. swing — to play on

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