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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. staff — employees
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. saw — the tool
  7. net — after costs
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — to drill
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. net — in sport
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. net — for catching
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. staff — employees
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. staff — a stick

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