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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. kid — to tease
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — a thing
  7. kid — child
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. staff — a stick
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. drill — army training
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. mine — for digging
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. drill — the tool
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. object — an aim
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. staff — employees
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. drill — a practice
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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