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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: mug · shower · content · stick · spell · staff · bat · rest

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — what's left
  3. content — the amount
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. staff — a stick
  6. spell — magic
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. spell — a short time
  10. mug — a cup
  11. shower — to wash
  12. mug — to rob
  13. bat — the animal
  14. staff — employees
  15. spell — letters
  16. rest — a break
  17. staff — employees
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. mug — a face
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. content — happy
  23. shower — rain
  24. content — videos and posts

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