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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mine — for digging
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. last — finally
  12. ball — a dance
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. staff — a stick
  18. last — to go on
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. ball — a great time
  21. staff — employees
  22. last — final
  23. pitch — completely
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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