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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. kick — in football
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mate — a partner
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. ball — a dance
  12. mate — a friend
  13. staff — a stick
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. ball — a great time
  18. mate — to breed
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. lie — to recline
  24. kick — a thrill

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