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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 116 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — clothes
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. staff — employees
  6. cold — an illness
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pound — a weight
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. suit — to fit
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. staff — employees
  15. cold — not warm
  16. craft — boats
  17. kid — to tease
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. tear — from crying
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. craft — a skill
  24. kid — child

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