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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. staff — a stick
  3. last — final
  4. hand — help
  5. rule — government
  6. swing — in golf
  7. swing — to play on
  8. object — an aim
  9. last — finally
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. staff — employees
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. rule — a law
  14. hand — in cards
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. object — to protest
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. swing — music
  21. last — to go on
  22. staff — employees
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bowl — to roll

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