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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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Word bank
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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. charge — electricity
  3. pound — a weight
  4. spring — of water
  5. spell — a short time
  6. chest — of your body
  7. spell — magic
  8. season — of the year
  9. spring — the season
  10. chest — a box
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. fine — high quality
  15. staff — employees
  16. chest — of your body
  17. spell — letters
  18. fine — all right
  19. charge — a price
  20. charge — in control
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. staff — a stick
  23. season — in sport
  24. pound — for dogs

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