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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. march — the month
  4. bass — low music
  5. present — a gift
  6. bass — the fish
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. spring — the season
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. present — the time now
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. spring — a coil
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. march — the month
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. spring — of water
  23. present — there
  24. march — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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