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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. track — to keep track
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. track — a path
  5. staff — employees
  6. bulb — for light
  7. club — for dancing
  8. drill — a practice
  9. stock — shares
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. spell — a short time
  12. club — for golf
  13. spell — magic
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. spell — letters
  16. bulb — for light
  17. stock — goods
  18. drill — army training
  19. staff — a stick
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. track — a song
  24. club — a group

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