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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. net — in sport
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — low music
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. lie — to recline
  16. net — for catching
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bass — the fish
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. net — after costs
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. fan — a supporter

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