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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — in music
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. staff — a stick
  9. court — of law
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. court — of a king
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. roll — a cake
  15. key — the most important part
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. court — for sport
  18. rush — hurry
  19. roll — a list
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — the underground
  23. staff — employees
  24. roll — on a roll

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