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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — the animal
  6. plane — a tool
  7. club — a group
  8. bound — obliged
  9. snap — to click
  10. club — for dancing
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. staff — a stick
  14. charge — in control
  15. wound — an injury
  16. club — for golf
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bound — tied together
  19. staff — employees
  20. charge — electricity
  21. charge — a price
  22. wound — an injury
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bound — certain

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