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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · chair · toast · bore · hide · spring · staff · swing

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. staff — a stick
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. swing — to play on
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bore — to drill
  8. swing — in golf
  9. spring — the season
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. swing — music
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. staff — employees
  14. spring — a coil
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. toast — bread
  17. spring — of water
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bore — to tire
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. staff — employees

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