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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. drill — army training
  3. craft — a skill
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pit — a hole
  6. club — for golf
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bear — the animal
  13. band — a music group
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — the tool
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — a match
  18. pit — in a race
  19. craft — boats
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. club — a group
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a rubber band

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