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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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. row — to paddle
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — in sport
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bound — obliged
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bound — certain
  12. pitch — completely
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bound — tied together
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. staff — employees
  19. row — a line
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. fan — a supporter

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