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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. prune — to trim
  4. key — for a lock
  5. race — humankind
  6. perch — the fish
  7. spell — magic
  8. key — in music
  9. race — the arms race
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — a leader
  12. spell — a short time
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. race — a contest
  16. staff — employees
  17. spell — letters
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. rest — what's left
  20. key — the most important part
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rest — a break
  24. rest — what's left

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