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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cue — a signal
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. ground — crushed
  6. tube — a container
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. ground — the earth
  9. staff — a stick
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. cue — a hint
  13. staff — employees
  14. tube — the underground
  15. ground — a position
  16. mine — for digging
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. cue — for pool

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