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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. snap — to click
  3. can — to be able to
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. charge — electricity
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. shower — rain
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. charge — a price
  10. bass — low music
  11. staff — employees
  12. charge — in control
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bass — the fish
  16. staff — a stick
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bass — the instrument

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