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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to sink
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. board — a committee
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. row — a line
  20. board — to get on
  21. pound — a weight
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. row — to paddle
  24. wound — an injury

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