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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  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. pass — a permit
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. cue — for pool
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bat — the animal
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — a signal
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. degree — an amount
  19. plane — a tool
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. degree — from a university
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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