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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. drill — a practice
  3. staff — employees
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. court — of a king
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. stock — goods
  14. charge — in control
  15. court — for sport
  16. stock — shares
  17. drill — army training
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — electricity
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. staff — a stick
  23. drill — the tool
  24. court — of law

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