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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — a thing
  3. staff — employees
  4. ball — a dance
  5. branch — a division
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. drill — army training
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — of ice
  12. staff — a stick
  13. cap — a hat
  14. foot — a measure
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. staff — employees
  17. object — an aim
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. ball — a great time
  20. pit — in a race
  21. drill — the tool
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. drill — a practice
  24. pit — a hole

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