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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. game — a match
  3. pound — a weight
  4. suit — to fit
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. staff — employees
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. game — wild animals
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. staff — a stick
  13. row — to paddle
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. suit — in cards
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — a line
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pound — to hit hard
  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