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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. bark — to shout
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. staff — a stick
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. staff — employees
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. vault — a safe
  21. mine — for digging
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. game — a match
  24. spring — of water

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