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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. hand — in cards
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. court — of law
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. date — the fruit
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. court — for sport
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. staff — employees
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pass — a permit
  21. court — of a king
  22. staff — a stick
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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