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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. land — ground
  3. present — the time now
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. present — there
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. row — a line
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. date — the fruit
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. present — a gift
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. staff — a stick
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. land — a country
  17. staff — employees
  18. land — to come down
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. ball — a dance
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. ball — a great time
  24. row — to paddle

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