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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. craft — boats
  3. staff — a stick
  4. firm — a company
  5. roll — a cake
  6. club — for golf
  7. last — to go on
  8. firm — steady
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. club — a group
  13. firm — decided
  14. band — a music group
  15. craft — a skill
  16. roll — a list
  17. club — for dancing
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. last — final
  22. last — finally
  23. staff — employees
  24. band — a ring

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