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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. suit — to fit
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — a series
  6. suit — in cards
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. staff — employees
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. suit — clothes
  15. staff — a stick
  16. stock — shares
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — child
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. prune — the fruit

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