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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. content — the amount
  4. land — ground
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. swing — music
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. swing — in golf
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. staff — employees
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. vault — a safe
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. swing — to play on
  23. content — happy
  24. staff — a stick

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