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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. tube — the underground
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. staff — employees
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — in a road
  7. cell — a phone
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. pop — soda
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. tube — a container
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. rash — hasty
  15. pop — music
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. staff — a stick
  18. rash — a series
  19. pop — to visit
  20. cell — in biology
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. board — a committee
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. board — to get on

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