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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mark — a grade
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bore — to tire
  5. spring — a coil
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. spring — the season
  8. staff — employees
  9. squash — to crush
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. bore — to drill
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — help
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. staff — a stick
  23. mark — a trace
  24. spring — of water

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