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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. chest — of your body
  3. can — a tin
  4. staff — employees
  5. land — a country
  6. cap — a hat
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. staff — a stick
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — ground
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. rock — music
  16. sharp — clever
  17. chest — a box
  18. can — to be able to
  19. cap — a lid
  20. chest — of your body
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. can — a tin
  24. cap — of ice

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