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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. drill — a practice
  3. staff — employees
  4. drill — army training
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. board — a committee
  7. foot — a measure
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. staff — a stick
  10. clip — for paper
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — a safe
  13. swing — in golf
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. clip — to cut
  18. fork — in a road
  19. board — to get on
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. clip — a video
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — music
  24. drill — the tool

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