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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. staff — a stick
  4. roll — a list
  5. wake — a trail
  6. land — to come down
  7. press — to push
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pop — to visit
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. staff — employees
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. pop — soda
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. pop — music
  18. press — a publisher
  19. land — a country
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. roll — a cake
  22. press — newspapers
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. land — ground

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