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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. rash — a series
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. rash — hasty
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. court — of law
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. court — for sport
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. wind — moving air
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. staff — employees
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. staff — a stick
  21. wind — moving air
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. court — of a king
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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