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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. charge — electricity
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. craft — boats
  6. root — the cause
  7. pop — soda
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. drill — a practice
  10. pop — music
  11. drill — the tool
  12. root — of a word
  13. craft — a skill
  14. staff — employees
  15. tube — the underground
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — a price
  18. pop — to visit
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. root — of a plant
  21. staff — a stick
  22. drill — army training
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — in a tire

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