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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — the animal
  3. staff — employees
  4. firm — decided
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — of the year
  7. firm — a company
  8. net — in sport
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — to drill
  11. prune — to trim
  12. staff — employees
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. firm — steady
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. prune — to trim
  18. staff — a stick
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — for catching
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. season — in sport
  24. hand — help

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