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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. tear — from crying
  4. suit — clothes
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. suit — to fit
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. mug — a face
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bass — low music
  12. suit — in cards
  13. race — the arms race
  14. tear — to rip
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — a contest
  17. mug — to rob
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. game — a match
  20. bass — the fish
  21. staff — employees
  22. game — wild animals
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. mug — a cup

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