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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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Word bank
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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. object — an aim
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. race — humankind
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. race — a contest
  8. press — a publisher
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — a thing
  11. toast — bread
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. shower — rain
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — to push
  19. race — the arms race
  20. craft — boats
  21. shower — to wash
  22. staff — a stick
  23. craft — a skill
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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