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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 124 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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in biology
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. ball — a great time
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. ball — a dance
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. rule — a law
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. rule — government
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. season — of the year
  19. staff — a stick
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. staff — employees
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. ball — a round shape

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