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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. shower — rain
  4. object — an aim
  5. mug — a face
  6. staff — employees
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. object — to protest
  10. shower — to wash
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bass — the fish
  14. object — a thing
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mug — to rob
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. mug — a cup
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bass — low music
  23. staff — a stick
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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