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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. staff — employees
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bat — the animal
  9. ball — a great time
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. spell — magic
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. kick — in football
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — a short time
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. ball — a dance
  21. staff — a stick
  22. dip — to sink
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. fine — high quality

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