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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. saw — the tool
  4. dip — to sink
  5. staff — a stick
  6. foot — a measure
  7. press — to push
  8. press — newspapers
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — a short time
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. saw — the tool
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. spell — letters
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. staff — employees
  21. date — the fruit
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. press — a publisher

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