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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. cue — for pool
  3. spell — magic
  4. scale — in music
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. deal — to handle
  7. wind — moving air
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. spell — a short time
  11. staff — employees
  12. scale — size or range
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — in sport
  15. staff — employees
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. spell — letters
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — a hint
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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