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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — to breed
  4. lean — thin
  5. staff — employees
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — the earth
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. mate — a partner
  12. ground — a position
  13. staff — a stick
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. key — the most important part
  16. land — ground
  17. key — for a lock
  18. lean — to bend
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — a country
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. key — in music
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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