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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. staff — employees
  5. squash — the sport
  6. ball — a dance
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. ball — a great time
  9. staff — a stick
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. saw — the tool
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. squash — to crush
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. foot — a measure
  22. saw — the tool
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. wind — moving air

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