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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. staff — employees
  6. squash — to crush
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. rock — music
  9. fork — in a road
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. snap — to click
  13. rock — a stone
  14. vault — a safe
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. squash — the sport
  24. lie — to recline

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