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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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. pit — a hole
  4. spring — a coil
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. content — the amount
  7. pit — in a race
  8. spring — of water
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. spring — the season
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wake — a trail
  15. staff — employees
  16. content — happy
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. object — a thing
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. object — an aim
  24. object — to protest

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