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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. fine — all right
  3. cold — not warm
  4. staff — employees
  5. rush — hurry
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a cup
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. spring — a coil
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. pass — a permit
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. spring — of water
  17. staff — employees
  18. cold — an illness
  19. spring — the season
  20. mug — a face
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. staff — a stick
  23. fine — high quality
  24. pass — to succeed

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