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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cap — a lid
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. root — of a word
  8. staff — a stick
  9. hand — in cards
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cue — a hint
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cue — a signal
  16. root — the cause
  17. staff — employees
  18. root — of a plant
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. hand — help
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. tear — to rip

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