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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 116 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. lie — to recline
  4. ball — a great time
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. race — humankind
  9. land — a country
  10. race — the arms race
  11. staff — employees
  12. court — for sport
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. race — a contest
  15. court — of a king
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pit — a hole
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — ground
  21. staff — a stick
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pound — a weight
  24. court — of law

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