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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — magic
  5. degree — from a university
  6. can — a tin
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bound — tied together
  9. staff — a stick
  10. lean — thin
  11. bound — obliged
  12. can — a tin
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bound — certain
  15. lean — to bend
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. degree — temperature
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. degree — an amount
  21. can — to be able to
  22. spell — letters
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  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