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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. court — of law
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. scale — in music
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cell — a phone
  13. board — to get on
  14. staff — a stick
  15. toast — bread
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. court — for sport
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. court — of a king
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. cell — in biology
  23. scale — size or range
  24. hide — to keep secret

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