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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mate — to breed
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cue — a signal
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mate — a friend
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — in golf
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — for pool
  15. staff — employees
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. staff — a stick
  19. swing — music
  20. perch — the fish
  21. mate — a partner
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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