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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 124 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. staff — employees
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. ball — a great time
  7. chair — a leader
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. board — to get on
  11. staff — employees
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — of ice
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. board — a committee
  16. content — the amount
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. cap — a lid
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. content — happy
  24. ball — a dance

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