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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. land — ground
  3. file — a line of people
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. file — a document
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bore — to drill
  9. toast — bread
  10. ground — the earth
  11. wind — moving air
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. staff — employees
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. staff — a stick
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bore — to tire
  21. ground — a position
  22. file — a tool
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. ground — crushed

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