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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 116 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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. drill — the tool
  3. lie — to recline
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. squash — the sport
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. staff — a stick
  14. squash — to crush
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. key — in music
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. ball — a dance
  21. drill — a practice
  22. staff — employees
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. drill — army training

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