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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bear — the animal
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. staff — employees
  11. bear — the animal
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cold — not warm
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cold — an illness
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. staff — employees

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