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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: straw · game · spell · racket · patient · plane · present · staff

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. spell — letters
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. plane — a tool
  7. game — wild animals
  8. staff — employees
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. game — a match
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. present — the time now
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. spell — a short time
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. spell — magic
  24. present — a gift

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