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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. squash — the sport
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. stem — to come from
  9. staff — employees
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. perch — the fish
  12. staff — a stick
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. squash — to crush
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. kid — to tease
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. kid — child
  24. leaves — to go away

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