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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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. bore — gave birth
  4. rash — hasty
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bore — to tire
  12. last — final
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. bore — to drill
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. deal — to handle
  17. rash — a series
  18. last — finally
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — a tool
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. staff — employees
  24. last — to go on

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