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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bear — the animal
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. staff — a stick
  5. swing — to play on
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. swing — in golf
  9. mine — for digging
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. swing — music
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. sharp — clever
  21. kick — in football
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. staff — employees

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