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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. staff — employees
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. pass — a permit
  6. squash — to crush
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. staff — employees
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. spell — magic
  16. cell — a phone
  17. mine — for digging
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — a short time
  21. stand — to bear
  22. cell — in biology
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. squash — the sport

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