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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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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. fine — high quality
  4. bore — to tire
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bore — to drill
  7. mark — a trace
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. staff — employees
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. fine — all right
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pound — a weight
  15. mark — a grade
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body

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