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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bat — the animal
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. root — the cause
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. staff — employees
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. roll — a list
  17. rush — hurry
  18. roll — a cake
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. root — of a plant
  21. root — of a word
  22. staff — a stick
  23. swing — music
  24. bat — for baseball

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