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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mug — a cup
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. staff — employees
  9. mug — to rob
  10. row — a line
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — letters
  13. scale — size or range
  14. pop — soda
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. pop — to visit
  18. scale — in music
  19. row — to paddle
  20. mug — a face
  21. spell — magic
  22. pop — music
  23. staff — a stick
  24. march — the month

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