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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. snap — to click
  4. toast — bread
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. craft — boats
  18. rest — what's left
  19. staff — a stick
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. craft — a skill
  22. rest — a break
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. rest — what's left

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