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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — happy
  4. bore — to tire
  5. ground — a position
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. ground — the earth
  8. charge — a price
  9. ground — crushed
  10. spring — the season
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. staff — employees
  14. charge — in control
  15. spring — of water
  16. sharp — clever
  17. charge — electricity
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. bore — to drill
  21. spring — a coil
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. rest — what's left
  24. staff — a stick

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