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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. ball — a dance
  3. staff — a stick
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. hand — help
  6. tube — the underground
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. scale — in music
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. hand — in cards
  13. tube — a container
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bulb — for light
  19. ball — a great time
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. staff — employees
  22. scale — size or range
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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