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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. staff — a stick
  5. pit — a hole
  6. field — for sport
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. field — farmland
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. field — a subject
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bat — the animal
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. pit — in a race
  21. foot — a measure
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rule — a law
  24. lie — an untruth

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