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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. squash — the sport
  5. file — a document
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. net — after costs
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. prune — to trim
  12. staff — employees
  13. file — a tool
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — in sport
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — the animal
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — to crush
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. file — a line of people

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