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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 120 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: lean · staff · bat · fall · track · suit · hand · safe

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bat — the animal
  5. suit — clothes
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. hand — help
  10. suit — to fit
  11. hand — in cards
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. suit — in cards
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. fall — the season
  17. lean — to bend
  18. track — a song
  19. track — a path
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. staff — employees
  24. lean — thin

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