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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. staff — employees
  5. degree — from a university
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — a safe
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. staff — a stick
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. perch — the fish
  17. band — a ring
  18. degree — temperature
  19. chip — to eat
  20. row — to paddle
  21. degree — an amount
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. chip — for betting
  24. row — a line

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