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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. track — to keep track
  3. staff — a stick
  4. object — to protest
  5. object — a thing
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. saw — the tool
  8. staff — employees
  9. mug — a face
  10. track — a song
  11. hand — in cards
  12. mug — a cup
  13. saw — the tool
  14. hand — help
  15. mug — to rob
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — a weight
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. object — an aim
  23. track — a path
  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