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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 116 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. staff — employees
  3. suit — clothes
  4. stand — to bear
  5. board — to get on
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. staff — a stick
  8. cap — a hat
  9. staff — employees
  10. board — a committee
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — the season
  15. land — to come down
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. cap — a lid
  18. suit — in cards
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — to wash
  21. land — a country
  22. land — ground
  23. cap — of ice
  24. suit — to fit

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