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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. ball — a great time
  3. scale — in music
  4. staff — a stick
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. ball — a dance
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. clip — to cut
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. deal — to handle
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. staff — employees
  19. clip — a video
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a skill
  22. scale — size or range
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. clip — for paper

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