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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. tube — a container
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a hole
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — for dancing
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. tube — the underground
  12. staff — a stick
  13. press — newspapers
  14. club — a group
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bat — the animal
  17. staff — employees
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. press — a publisher
  21. pass — a permit
  22. cell — in biology
  23. press — to push
  24. bat — in an idiom

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