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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 116 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. spring — of water
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. fall — the season
  5. staff — employees
  6. firm — decided
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. chair — a leader
  9. vault — a safe
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — the season
  15. firm — steady
  16. fall — to drop
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. staff — a stick
  19. firm — a company
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. mine — for digging

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