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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cap — a lid
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. key — for a lock
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. bore — to tire
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bass — low music
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. key — in music
  14. staff — employees
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bore — to drill
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bass — the fish
  19. key — the most important part
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. cap — a hat
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. hand — in cards

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