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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 116 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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. object — a thing
  4. staff — employees
  5. object — to protest
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bat — the animal
  8. pop — music
  9. wind — moving air
  10. spring — the season
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — soda
  14. firm — decided
  15. rest — a break
  16. firm — a company
  17. spring — a coil
  18. firm — steady
  19. rest — what's left
  20. staff — a stick
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. rest — what's left
  23. spring — of water
  24. staff — employees

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