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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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. court — for sport
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. season — in sport
  7. staff — employees
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. wax — to grow
  13. court — of law
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. court — of a king
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. season — of the year
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — of water
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. spring — the season
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. cabinet — ministers

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