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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 116 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 works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. firm — a company
  3. bear — the animal
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. spring — of water
  6. kick — in football
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. staff — a stick
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. firm — decided
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bear — the animal
  16. firm — steady
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. spring — the season
  23. saw — the tool
  24. staff — employees

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