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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 always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. key — for a lock
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. bound — obliged
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — to shout
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bound — tied together
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. date — the fruit
  18. staff — employees
  19. key — in music
  20. staff — a stick
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. staff — employees
  24. bound — certain

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