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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 116 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. squash — to crush
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. root — of a plant
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. staff — a stick
  10. sharp — clever
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. pit — a hole
  13. staff — employees
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. rest — a break
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. root — the cause
  19. pit — in a race
  20. deal — to handle
  21. root — of a word
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. squash — the sport
  24. rest — what's left

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