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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. hand — help
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — of a river
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a leader
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. face — part of the head
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bank — for money
  18. wake — a trail
  19. face — to confront
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. face — to point toward

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