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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 120 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 asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. spell — magic
  3. can — to be able to
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pass — a permit
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. court — of a king
  10. wind — moving air
  11. staff — employees
  12. rest — a break
  13. court — for sport
  14. wind — moving air
  15. staff — a stick
  16. can — a tin
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. spell — a short time
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. spell — letters
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. can — a tin
  23. court — of law
  24. pass — to spend time

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