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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. scale — in music
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. game — a match
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. staff — employees
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. staff — a stick
  16. rash — a series
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. can — a tin
  19. scale — size or range
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. prune — to trim
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. game — wild animals

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