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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. staff — employees
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — wild animals
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. rock — a stone
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. mine — for digging
  14. rash — hasty
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. rock — music
  17. rash — a series
  18. can — a tin
  19. staff — employees
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. foot — a measure
  24. staff — a stick

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