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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — employees
  5. lie — to recline
  6. drill — a practice
  7. rash — a series
  8. pound — a weight
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. staff — a stick
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bear — the animal
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bear — the animal
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — army training
  24. lie — an untruth

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