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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bat — the animal
  3. staff — a stick
  4. suit — clothes
  5. spell — magic
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. chest — a box
  8. rock — a stone
  9. staff — employees
  10. content — the amount
  11. rock — music
  12. spell — letters
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. suit — to fit
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. suit — in cards
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. content — happy
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. spell — a short time

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