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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. staff — employees
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. club — for dancing
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. field — a subject
  14. club — for golf
  15. march — the month
  16. club — a group
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. march — the month
  20. field — farmland
  21. rush — hurry
  22. march — music
  23. field — for sport
  24. rush — a thrill

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