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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. staff — employees
  4. fork — in a road
  5. land — ground
  6. mug — a face
  7. shower — to wash
  8. ground — the earth
  9. charge — electricity
  10. land — a country
  11. ground — a position
  12. shower — rain
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. staff — a stick
  16. charge — a price
  17. land — to come down
  18. spell — a short time
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. ground — crushed
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mug — a cup
  24. charge — in control

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