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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. charge — electricity
  8. snap — to click
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. charge — in control
  13. net — in sport
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bass — the fish
  16. net — after costs
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. foot — a measure
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bass — low music
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. net — for catching
  24. charge — a price

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