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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. court — of law
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a skill
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. land — a country
  11. staff — a stick
  12. land — ground
  13. row — a line
  14. cell — a phone
  15. court — of a king
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. saw — the tool
  18. land — to come down
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. staff — employees
  21. row — to paddle
  22. court — for sport
  23. cell — in biology
  24. saw — the tool

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