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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 120 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. can — a tin
  3. staff — a stick
  4. saw — the tool
  5. can — to be able to
  6. hand — in cards
  7. mate — a friend
  8. scale — size or range
  9. field — farmland
  10. saw — the tool
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. field — a subject
  13. scale — in music
  14. mate — to breed
  15. field — for sport
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. can — a tin
  18. staff — employees
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. mate — a partner
  23. hand — help
  24. arm — a part of something

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