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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — music
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. club — for dancing
  8. rock — a stone
  9. club — a group
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rest — what's left
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. club — for golf
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. roll — a list
  21. staff — employees
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  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