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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. spring — the season
  5. wake — a trail
  6. staff — employees
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. staff — employees
  10. pass — a permit
  11. spring — of water
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. spring — a coil
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. deal — to handle
  16. chest — a box
  17. fine — all right
  18. chest — of your body
  19. staff — a stick
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pass — to spend time

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