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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 120 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cue — a hint
  3. suit — in cards
  4. suit — clothes
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. suit — to fit
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. cue — a signal
  14. staff — a stick
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cue — for pool
  19. capital — money
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. capital — a city
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. staff — employees
  24. pitch — completely

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