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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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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a match
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — a stone
  7. track — a song
  8. staff — a stick
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. track — to keep track
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. pitch — completely
  13. rock — music
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. track — a path
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. staff — employees

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