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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bat — the animal
  4. pit — a hole
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. rest — what's left
  8. staff — employees
  9. mate — a friend
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pit — in a race
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. rest — a break
  15. mate — to breed
  16. staff — employees
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. field — a subject
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. field — farmland
  21. cue — a hint
  22. field — for sport
  23. cue — for pool
  24. mate — a partner

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