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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. staff — employees
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bound — tied together
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. toast — bread
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — obliged
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. staff — a stick
  22. snap — to click
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. toast — the most admired

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