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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. rock — a stone
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. court — for sport
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. rock — music
  10. staff — employees
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. court — of law
  13. game — a match
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. court — of a king
  17. game — wild animals
  18. chest — of your body
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — in a road
  21. mine — for digging
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. staff — a stick

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