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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. hand — in cards
  3. staff — a stick
  4. cap — of ice
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cap — a hat
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a grade
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. dip — to sink
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. hand — help
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mark — a trace
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. staff — employees
  20. face — to point toward
  21. cap — a lid
  22. face — to confront
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. face — part of the head

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