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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. court — of a king
  3. file — a document
  4. staff — a stick
  5. file — a tool
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. court — of law
  8. snap — to click
  9. court — for sport
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. key — the most important part
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pound — a weight
  14. staff — employees
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. key — in music
  17. bulb — for light
  18. file — a line of people
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. bulb — for light
  22. key — for a lock
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — on your feet

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