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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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. racket — for tennis
  4. kid — child
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. staff — employees
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. file — a document
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. file — a tool
  14. swing — in golf
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. kid — to tease
  17. file — a line of people
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. hand — help
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — music
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. hand — in cards

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