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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rest — a break
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. ball — a great time
  9. staff — employees
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. clip — a video
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. ball — a dance
  16. clip — for paper
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. lean — to bend
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. lean — thin
  22. clip — to cut
  23. rest — what's left
  24. safe — out of danger

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