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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 116 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bound — tied together
  3. tear — from crying
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bound — obliged
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. staff — a stick
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rash — a series
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bound — certain
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. rash — hasty
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. staff — employees
  22. drill — a practice
  23. chair — a leader
  24. drill — army training

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