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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pit — in a race
  3. face — to confront
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. staff — employees
  6. kid — to tease
  7. staff — a stick
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — for catching
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. face — to point toward
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. net — in sport
  21. kid — child
  22. face — part of the head
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. nail — on a finger

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