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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. cue — a signal
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. cue — for pool
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. game — wild animals
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. root — of a word
  15. stem — to come from
  16. root — of a plant
  17. season — of the year
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. game — a match
  20. root — the cause
  21. season — in sport
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. cue — a hint

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