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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. staff — employees
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — help
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. cue — a hint
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — letters
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. staff — employees
  15. cue — a signal
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. cue — for pool
  21. spell — magic
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. rush — hurry

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