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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. suit — to fit
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. staff — a stick
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. band — a ring
  8. suit — in cards
  9. drill — the tool
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. suit — clothes
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. rule — government
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — army training
  18. rule — a law
  19. bat — the animal
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. staff — employees
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. band — a music group
  24. bowl — a dish

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