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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — a face
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. field — farmland
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. field — for sport
  12. mug — to rob
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. squash — to crush
  15. spring — of water
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. field — a subject
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. squash — the sport
  24. safe — out of danger

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