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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. vault — a safe
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — the tool
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. spring — the season
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — a publisher
  12. staff — employees
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. staff — a stick
  16. spring — of water
  17. kid — to tease
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. drill — army training
  22. spring — a coil
  23. press — to push
  24. kid — child

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