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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 120 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cell — a phone
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. staff — employees
  5. object — a thing
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. cell — in biology
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. staff — a stick
  17. perch — the fish
  18. object — an aim
  19. stand — to bear
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. object — to protest
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. perch — for a bird

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