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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pop — to visit
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rash — a series
  5. scale — size or range
  6. rest — a break
  7. firm — decided
  8. rash — hasty
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. scale — in music
  13. squash — the sport
  14. staff — employees
  15. firm — a company
  16. pop — soda
  17. rest — what's left
  18. staff — a stick
  19. squash — to crush
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pop — music
  24. firm — steady

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