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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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. drill — the tool
  4. mine — for digging
  5. staff — employees
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. staff — a stick
  9. rule — government
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. drill — army training
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. drill — a practice
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. rule — a law
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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