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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. fine — high quality
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. kid — child
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. board — a committee
  10. staff — a stick
  11. board — to get on
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. fine — all right
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. perch — the fish
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bound — obliged
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bound — certain
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. staff — employees
  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