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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. face — to confront
  4. court — of law
  5. court — for sport
  6. bound — tied together
  7. squash — to crush
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. face — to point toward
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. staff — employees
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bound — certain
  20. face — part of the head
  21. court — of a king
  22. squash — the sport
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bound — obliged

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