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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. staff — a stick
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. scale — size or range
  10. cap — a lid
  11. scale — in music
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. clip — a video
  14. mark — a grade
  15. staff — employees
  16. cap — a hat
  17. tube — a container
  18. clip — for paper
  19. tube — the underground
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. mark — a trace
  24. clip — to cut

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