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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. cap — a hat
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. staff — employees
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — in music
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. key — the most important part
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. key — in music
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. key — for a lock
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. cap — of ice
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. cap — a lid
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. straw — dry grass

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