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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. drill — the tool
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. drill — army training
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. staff — a stick
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. mine — for digging
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. tear — from crying
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. swing — in golf
  18. drill — a practice
  19. staff — employees
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. kick — in football
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — music

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