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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. cell — a phone
  4. staff — a stick
  5. cell — in biology
  6. field — for sport
  7. rash — a series
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. field — farmland
  10. pound — a weight
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — the amount
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. field — a subject
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. content — happy
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. staff — employees

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