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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  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. spring — the season
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. cue — a hint
  5. object — an aim
  6. spring — a coil
  7. staff — employees
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. spring — of water
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. object — to protest
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. object — a thing
  22. bat — the animal
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  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