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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. spring — of water
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. drill — a practice
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. drill — army training
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. chair — a leader
  10. firm — steady
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bear — the animal
  14. firm — decided
  15. spring — a coil
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. firm — a company
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. spring — the season
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. drill — the tool
  24. chair — to sit on

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