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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 124 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. staff — a stick
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. staff — employees
  5. march — the month
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. march — the month
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. roll — a cake
  11. kick — in football
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — in sport
  16. roll — a list
  17. net — after costs
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. march — music
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. hide — animal skin
  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