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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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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 · court · chest · pitcher · nail · saw · staff · mate

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mug — a cup
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. mug — to rob
  6. chest — of your body
  7. court — of law
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. saw — the tool
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mate — to breed
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. court — of a king
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — a partner
  19. saw — the tool
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mug — a face
  22. court — for sport
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. chest — a box

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