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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. cell — in biology
  4. swing — in golf
  5. content — happy
  6. staff — employees
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. content — the amount
  9. charge — electricity
  10. field — a subject
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. charge — in control
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. charge — a price
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. field — for sport
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. swing — music
  22. cell — a phone
  23. field — farmland
  24. swing — to play 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