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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mug — to rob
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. wake — a trail
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. staff — employees
  8. ground — crushed
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — a grade
  12. lie — to recline
  13. mug — a cup
  14. ground — the earth
  15. squash — the sport
  16. ground — a position
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mug — a face
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. squash — to crush
  23. staff — a stick
  24. mark — to pay attention

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