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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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. court — for sport
  4. staff — employees
  5. rest — what's left
  6. spring — the season
  7. rest — a break
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. court — of law
  11. court — of a king
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. spring — a coil
  14. staff — a stick
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. vault — a safe
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rest — what's left
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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