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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. staff — employees
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. object — to protest
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. band — a ring
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. object — a thing
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. craft — boats
  13. staff — a stick
  14. band — a music group
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. object — an aim
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. craft — a skill
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. staff — employees
  22. fine — high quality
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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