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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. fall — the season
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. court — of a king
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. court — for sport
  8. spring — the season
  9. court — of law
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fall — to drop
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. pitch — completely
  14. staff — a stick
  15. foot — a measure
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. saw — the tool
  21. staff — employees
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. date — the fruit

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