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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 124 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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. object — a thing
  6. rest — a break
  7. last — to go on
  8. rest — what's left
  9. staff — employees
  10. board — a committee
  11. perch — the fish
  12. board — to get on
  13. staff — a stick
  14. cold — an illness
  15. last — finally
  16. rest — what's left
  17. object — an aim
  18. last — final
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. cold — not warm
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. object — to protest
  24. perch — for a bird

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