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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. pit — a hole
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. date — the fruit
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bat — the animal
  12. mug — a cup
  13. branch — a division
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. pit — in a race
  17. kick — in football
  18. staff — employees
  19. snap — to click
  20. mug — a face
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  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