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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bank — for money
  5. rest — a break
  6. object — to protest
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. bank — for money
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pound — a weight
  13. staff — employees
  14. rest — what's left
  15. staff — employees
  16. object — an aim
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — in sport
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — help
  21. net — after costs
  22. object — a thing
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. bank — of a river

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