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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — a stone
  6. charge — in control
  7. shower — rain
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. staff — employees
  12. swing — in golf
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. shower — to wash
  16. charge — electricity
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — music
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pitch — completely
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. rock — music
  23. charge — a price
  24. wind — to turn a key

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