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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fine — all right
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bat — the animal
  7. date — the fruit
  8. spell — a short time
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. fine — high quality
  12. spell — letters
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. spell — magic
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. staff — employees
  17. pop — music
  18. staff — a stick
  19. pop — soda
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. mark — a trace
  24. bat — for baseball

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