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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. file — a document
  5. present — there
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. staff — employees
  8. spell — a short time
  9. present — a gift
  10. rash — hasty
  11. staff — a stick
  12. present — the time now
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. spell — magic
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — the season
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. file — a tool
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. spring — a coil
  22. rash — a series
  23. spell — letters
  24. file — a line of people

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