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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 120 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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. stand — to bear
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. pit — in a race
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. clip — to cut
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. ball — a great time
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. staff — a stick
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. pit — a hole
  15. clip — for paper
  16. ball — a dance
  17. spring — the season
  18. fine — all right
  19. staff — employees
  20. spring — of water
  21. clip — a video
  22. spring — a coil
  23. fine — high quality
  24. ball — a round shape

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