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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. scale — in music
  5. bank — for money
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bank — for money
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. pit — in a race
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. spell — letters
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bank — of a river
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pit — a hole
  18. spell — magic
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. staff — employees
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the sport
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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