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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.

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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: foot · lean · mug · race · game · staff · stick · fine

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. race — the arms race
  6. mug — a face
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. race — a contest
  9. staff — a stick
  10. mug — to rob
  11. fine — all right
  12. race — humankind
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. mug — a cup
  16. lean — to bend
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. game — wild animals
  19. staff — employees
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. fine — high quality
  22. lean — thin
  23. game — a match
  24. foot — a measure

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