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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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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. march — music
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — certain
  6. wax — to grow
  7. hand — in cards
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. lie — to recline
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. staff — a stick
  12. march — the month
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. march — the month
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. hand — help
  18. toast — bread
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bound — tied together
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — for betting

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