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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. rash — a series
  4. staff — a stick
  5. rash — hasty
  6. foot — a measure
  7. staff — employees
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. staff — employees
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. mate — to breed
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. fork — in a road
  20. mate — a partner
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. foot — the bottom

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