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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. staff — a stick
  4. spring — the season
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. ground — the earth
  7. foot — a measure
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. spring — a coil
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. ground — a position
  14. spring — of water
  15. vault — a safe
  16. staff — employees
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — low music

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