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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. scale — size or range
  3. kid — child
  4. ground — the earth
  5. staff — employees
  6. pit — in a race
  7. scale — in music
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. bore — to drill
  10. present — a gift
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ground — a position
  15. present — the time now
  16. ground — crushed
  17. kid — to tease
  18. pit — a hole
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. staff — a stick
  23. present — there
  24. bore — to 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