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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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. bowl — to roll
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wind — moving air
  9. swing — to play on
  10. wind — moving air
  11. chip — for betting
  12. swing — music
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. toast — bread
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. staff — employees
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. prune — to trim
  21. chip — to eat
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. bowl — a football final

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