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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fine — all right
  6. staff — a stick
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. key — the most important part
  9. fine — high quality
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. vault — a safe
  12. key — for a lock
  13. staff — employees
  14. pitch — completely
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. key — in music
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. saw — 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