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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 124 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's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cue — a hint
  4. staff — a stick
  5. kid — child
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. court — for sport
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mug — to rob
  10. court — of a king
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. perch — the fish
  13. fall — the season
  14. court — of law
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mug — a face
  17. cue — for pool
  18. kid — to tease
  19. staff — employees
  20. cue — a signal
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mug — a cup

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