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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 116 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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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: staff · root · last · mark · bat · board · swing · pitcher

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a grade
  4. swing — to play on
  5. board — to get on
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. mark — a trace
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. last — finally
  14. staff — a stick
  15. last — to go on
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — of a plant
  18. staff — employees
  19. root — the cause
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. last — final
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — a flat piece

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