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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fall — to drop
  3. row — a line
  4. fall — to drop
  5. staff — employees
  6. band — a music group
  7. staff — a stick
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. cap — a hat
  11. scale — in music
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. row — to paddle
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cap — of ice
  18. scale — size or range
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. cap — a lid
  22. fall — the season
  23. band — a ring
  24. row — a quarrel

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