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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. present — there
  3. foot — a measure
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. scale — in music
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. scale — size or range
  11. cell — a phone
  12. staff — employees
  13. cell — in biology
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. chest — a box
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. staff — a stick
  22. present — a gift
  23. chest — of your body
  24. present — the time now

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