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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. plane — a tool
  3. cell — a phone
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bass — the fish
  6. cell — in biology
  7. roll — a list
  8. season — of the year
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. track — a song
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. staff — a stick
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. game — a match
  16. staff — employees
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. game — wild animals
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a path
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — low music
  24. season — in sport

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