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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. rule — a law
  4. vault — a safe
  5. staff — employees
  6. kid — to tease
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. scale — in music
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. cap — of ice
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. rule — government
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. kid — child
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. cap — a hat
  22. scale — size or range
  23. staff — a stick
  24. cap — a lid

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