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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. land — ground
  3. mate — to breed
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. staff — a stick
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. drill — a practice
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. staff — employees
  10. lean — thin
  11. land — to come down
  12. drill — army training
  13. land — a country
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bound — certain
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mate — a friend
  19. drill — the tool
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — tied together
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. mate — a partner

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