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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. ball — a great time
  4. tear — from crying
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to confront
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. cap — a lid
  13. deal — to handle
  14. staff — a stick
  15. tear — to rip
  16. craft — boats
  17. face — to point toward
  18. craft — a skill
  19. ball — a dance
  20. snap — to click
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. cap — of ice
  23. tear — from crying
  24. cap — a hat

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