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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. file — a tool
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. kid — child
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. file — a document
  7. craft — boats
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bass — low music
  11. staff — employees
  12. cue — a signal
  13. staff — a stick
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. cue — a hint
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — the fish
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. cue — for pool
  22. craft — a skill
  23. kid — to tease
  24. file — a line of people

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