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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 120 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. cold — not warm
  10. hand — help
  11. staff — employees
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. band — a ring
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. band — a music group
  17. staff — a stick
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. hand — in cards
  20. squash — to crush
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. lie — to recline
  23. cold — an illness
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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