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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. object — a thing
  3. shower — to wash
  4. rash — a series
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. root — of a plant
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rash — hasty
  11. net — for catching
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. net — after costs
  14. object — to protest
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. staff — a stick
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. root — of a word
  19. net — in sport
  20. object — an aim
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. root — the cause
  23. staff — employees
  24. shower — rain

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