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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.

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: arm · craft · staff · mug · stick · bat · pop · cap

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  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. staff — a stick
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pop — soda
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. pop — music
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mug — a cup
  8. craft — a skill
  9. staff — employees
  10. craft — boats
  11. pop — to visit
  12. mug — to rob
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. mug — a face
  17. cap — a hat
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a lid
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bat — the animal
  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