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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 116 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — size or range
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. staff — a stick
  11. clip — to cut
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. staff — employees
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — a law
  17. rest — what's left
  18. clip — a video
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. rule — government
  21. key — in music
  22. scale — in music
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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