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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mate — to breed
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. track — a path
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. degree — an amount
  8. track — a song
  9. staff — a stick
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. degree — from a university
  13. object — an aim
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. deal — to handle
  18. object — to protest
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bark — to shout
  22. staff — employees
  23. object — a thing
  24. mate — a friend

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