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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. foot — a measure
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. degree — temperature
  7. firm — steady
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. degree — an amount
  11. last — to go on
  12. staff — a stick
  13. firm — decided
  14. firm — a company
  15. staff — employees
  16. row — a line
  17. game — a match
  18. last — finally
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. game — wild animals
  22. degree — from a university
  23. last — final
  24. game — a kind of play

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