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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. fall — to drop
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. staff — employees
  6. spell — a short time
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. fall — the season
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. spell — letters
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. kick — in football
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. scale — in music
  21. mine — for digging
  22. spell — magic
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. kick — a thrill

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