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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. staff — employees
  3. root — the cause
  4. rash — hasty
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. fork — in a road
  8. club — a group
  9. root — of a plant
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. club — for dancing
  15. club — for golf
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. staff — a stick
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. rash — a series
  20. staff — employees
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. pitch — completely
  24. root — of a word

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