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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. sharp — clever
  3. tube — a container
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — to point toward
  6. spell — a short time
  7. face — part of the head
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. spring — the season
  11. spell — magic
  12. key — the most important part
  13. squash — the sport
  14. spring — of water
  15. squash — to crush
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. spell — letters
  19. key — in music
  20. staff — a stick
  21. key — for a lock
  22. spring — a coil
  23. staff — employees
  24. tube — the underground

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