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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. staff — employees
  5. saw — the tool
  6. clip — for paper
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. stand — to bear
  10. key — for a lock
  11. mine — for digging
  12. key — the most important part
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. saw — the tool
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. staff — a stick
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — a video
  24. key — in music

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