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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. content — happy
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. game — wild animals
  6. staff — employees
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. content — the amount
  12. fork — in a road
  13. land — to come down
  14. game — a match
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. wake — a trail
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. staff — a stick
  21. land — a country
  22. can — a tin
  23. land — ground
  24. fork — a garden tool

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