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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. file — a tool
  3. game — wild animals
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. cue — a hint
  6. branch — a division
  7. spell — a short time
  8. cue — for pool
  9. track — a song
  10. cue — a signal
  11. file — a line of people
  12. track — a path
  13. spell — magic
  14. staff — employees
  15. spell — letters
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. game — a match
  19. file — a document
  20. staff — a stick
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. track — to keep track
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. patient — a sick person

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