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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. staff — employees
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. row — to paddle
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bat — the animal
  11. pit — in a race
  12. chair — a leader
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chest — a box
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. row — a line
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. chest — of your body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pit — a hole

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