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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. shower — rain
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — to crush
  6. fork — in a road
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. track — a song
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. track — a path
  13. track — to keep track
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. lie — to recline
  18. content — happy
  19. content — the amount
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. staff — employees
  22. squash — the sport
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. staff — employees

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