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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. ball — a dance
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. perch — the fish
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. staff — a stick
  8. stand — to bear
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. club — for dancing
  13. file — a document
  14. staff — employees
  15. lie — to recline
  16. club — for golf
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. file — a line of people
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. file — a tool
  21. club — a group
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. perch — for a bird

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