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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. firm — steady
  4. chest — of your body
  5. staff — employees
  6. firm — a company
  7. chest — a box
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a friend
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. press — newspapers
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. firm — decided
  17. press — a publisher
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fork — in a road
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. staff — a stick
  22. mate — a partner
  23. press — to push
  24. pitcher — a jug

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