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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. staff — employees
  3. rash — hasty
  4. staff — employees
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. club — a group
  7. mine — for digging
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. tube — a container
  10. present — the time now
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. club — for golf
  14. staff — a stick
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. present — there
  18. chest — of your body
  19. present — a gift
  20. chest — of your body
  21. club — for dancing
  22. chest — a box
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. tube — the underground

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