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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. bark — to shout
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. court — of law
  8. key — the most important part
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. court — for sport
  11. key — for a lock
  12. rash — a series
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — a phone
  17. rash — hasty
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. staff — employees
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — hurry
  24. court — of a king

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