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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bass — the fish
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. land — a country
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cue — a signal
  11. land — to come down
  12. cue — a hint
  13. land — ground
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. cue — for pool
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bulb — for light
  22. staff — employees
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. staff — a stick

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