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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. net — after costs
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. staff — a stick
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mug — a cup
  14. key — the most important part
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a face
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. net — for catching
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — in music
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. net — in sport

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