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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. rash — a series
  7. staff — a stick
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — for dancing
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. staff — employees
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. rash — hasty
  15. cell — in biology
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. cell — a phone
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. nail — on a finger
  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