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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bulb — for light
  10. tear — to rip
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bulb — for light
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. staff — employees
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. tear — from crying
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fork — in a road
  20. cue — for pool
  21. game — a match
  22. game — wild animals
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. cue — a signal

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