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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. net — for catching
  5. staff — a stick
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. game — a match
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — to play on
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. rush — hurry
  12. game — wild animals
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — of the year
  17. staff — employees
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. swing — music
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. net — in sport
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. net — after costs

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