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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 120 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. content — happy
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. rash — hasty
  6. plane — a tool
  7. rash — a series
  8. bat — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. press — a publisher
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. content — the amount
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. press — newspapers
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. press — to push
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mouse — for a computer

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