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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rest — what's left
  3. charge — electricity
  4. key — in music
  5. mine — for digging
  6. staff — a stick
  7. spring — of water
  8. staff — employees
  9. spring — the season
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. spring — a coil
  14. key — the most important part
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — a price
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bore — to drill
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. rest — a break
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. key — for a lock
  24. straw — dry grass

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