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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 116 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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. staff — employees
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. staff — a stick
  5. cue — a hint
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. spring — of water
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. spring — a coil
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. spring — the season
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. staff — employees
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cue — a signal
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. board — to get on

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