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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bark — to shout
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — of water
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. game — a match
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. game — wild animals
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. spring — the season
  19. staff — employees
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. bark — of a tree

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