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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. clip — to cut
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. kid — child
  9. saw — the tool
  10. charge — electricity
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. staff — employees
  13. charge — in control
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. clip — a video
  16. kid — to tease
  17. charge — a price
  18. staff — a stick
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pitch — completely
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. saw — the tool

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