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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. club — a group
  3. rash — hasty
  4. staff — employees
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. lean — to bend
  7. pit — in a race
  8. shower — rain
  9. lean — thin
  10. club — for golf
  11. pit — a hole
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. shower — to wash
  14. swing — to play on
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. staff — a stick
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. club — for dancing
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. rash — a series
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — in golf

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