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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. stem — to come from
  6. snap — to click
  7. staff — employees
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. race — a contest
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. file — a line of people
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. file — a tool
  22. race — humankind
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. file — a document

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