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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. file — a tool
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bulb — for light
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. file — a line of people
  8. ground — a position
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. rush — hurry
  12. staff — employees
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. mine — for digging
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. ground — crushed
  20. file — a document
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. snap — to click
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. ground — the earth

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