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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. season — of the year
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. key — in music
  5. key — the most important part
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. staff — a stick
  9. rock — music
  10. staff — employees
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — of ice
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — a law
  15. key — for a lock
  16. net — for catching
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. net — after costs
  19. rock — a stone
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — to drill
  23. rule — government
  24. net — in sport

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