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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 120 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. spring — the season
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. spring — of water
  7. bore — to tire
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. plane — a tool
  15. key — the most important part
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. staff — a stick
  18. key — in music
  19. spring — a coil
  20. staff — employees
  21. pop — soda
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. plane — in geometry

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