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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. vault — a safe
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fine — high quality
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. staff — a stick
  11. wind — moving air
  12. staff — employees
  13. chest — a box
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pass — a permit
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. fine — all right
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. chest — of your body

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