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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mug — to rob
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. ball — a great time
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. season — of the year
  12. wind — moving air
  13. staff — employees
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. rush — hurry
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. season — in sport
  20. mug — a face
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. ball — a dance
  23. mug — a cup
  24. ball — a round shape

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