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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  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. staff — employees
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. pit — in a race
  6. court — for sport
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. court — of law
  10. pit — a hole
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. staff — employees
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. court — of a king
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. staff — a stick
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  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