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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. staff — employees
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bulb — for light
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. staff — employees
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bank — for money
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — finally
  11. mine — for digging
  12. fine — high quality
  13. staff — a stick
  14. rush — hurry
  15. last — final
  16. spell — letters
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. spell — magic
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bank — for money
  21. fine — all right
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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