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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mug — to rob
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. object — a thing
  5. mug — a face
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. mug — a cup
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. staff — employees
  10. prune — to trim
  11. staff — a stick
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. object — to protest
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. object — an aim
  16. bear — the animal
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — in music
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. key — the most important part

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