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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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. wound — an injury
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. race — a contest
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. staff — employees
  8. pass — a permit
  9. court — of law
  10. squash — the sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. race — humankind
  13. bore — to drill
  14. squash — to crush
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — in music
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bore — to tire
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. court — for sport
  24. race — the arms race

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