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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. cap — a hat
  3. staff — employees
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — hasty
  6. kick — in football
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. foot — a measure
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cap — of ice
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wind — moving air
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. cap — a lid
  24. staff — employees

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