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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. content — the amount
  5. wake — a trail
  6. pound — a weight
  7. game — wild animals
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bass — the fish
  10. staff — employees
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. game — a match
  13. staff — a stick
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. content — happy
  17. squash — to crush
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bass — low music
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. cabinet — ministers

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