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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. plane — a tool
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bear — the animal
  11. club — for golf
  12. rush — hurry
  13. file — a tool
  14. club — a group
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a document
  18. staff — employees
  19. bear — the animal
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. staff — a stick
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. fall — the season

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