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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. drill — army training
  4. spell — magic
  5. drill — the tool
  6. present — there
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pound — a weight
  9. last — to go on
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. spell — a short time
  12. present — a gift
  13. lie — to recline
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. present — the time now
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. spell — letters
  18. last — final
  19. drill — a practice
  20. staff — employees
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. last — finally
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. staff — employees

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