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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. staff — a stick
  5. lie — to recline
  6. staff — employees
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. wax — to grow
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. mate — to breed
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — happy
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. staff — employees
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. fork — in a road
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. fork — a garden tool

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