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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rock — music
  3. staff — a stick
  4. last — final
  5. dip — to sink
  6. craft — a skill
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. hand — help
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. staff — employees
  14. rock — a stone
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. craft — boats
  17. chip — for betting
  18. chip — to eat
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. last — finally
  24. last — to go on

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