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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. hand — in cards
  3. fine — all right
  4. board — a committee
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. staff — employees
  7. board — to get on
  8. stem — to come from
  9. can — a tin
  10. fine — high quality
  11. can — a tin
  12. staff — a stick
  13. drill — army training
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. can — to be able to
  17. hand — help
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. drill — the tool
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. drill — a practice
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. nail — on a finger

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