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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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. rule — government
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. shower — to wash
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. season — of the year
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pound — a weight
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. kick — in football
  16. rule — a law
  17. staff — employees
  18. field — a subject
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. shower — rain
  22. season — in sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — for sport

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