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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. fork — in a road
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. staff — employees
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. scale — in music
  9. cold — not warm
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bass — the fish
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. bass — low music
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cold — an illness
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. board — a committee
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. board — to get on
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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