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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 120 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. can — to be able to
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. lie — to recline
  7. staff — a stick
  8. row — to paddle
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rash — hasty
  11. foot — a measure
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. rash — a series
  14. staff — employees
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. row — a line
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. snap — to click

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