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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. stand — to bear
  4. object — an aim
  5. staff — a stick
  6. drill — army training
  7. track — a path
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. object — to protest
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. track — to keep track
  13. drill — the tool
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. last — final
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. spell — a short time
  18. track — a song
  19. drill — a practice
  20. spell — magic
  21. staff — employees
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. object — a thing
  24. spell — letters

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