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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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. staff — employees
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. drill — a practice
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — to crush
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. staff — a stick
  11. drill — army training
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. rash — hasty
  16. drill — the tool
  17. rash — a series
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — a line
  20. plane — a tool
  21. ball — a dance
  22. row — to paddle
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. plane — an aircraft

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