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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. staff — a stick
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. staff — employees
  7. object — a thing
  8. object — to protest
  9. march — the month
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. squash — the sport
  14. charge — electricity
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — goods
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. charge — in control
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. object — an aim
  24. charge — a price

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