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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bat — the animal
  3. can — to be able to
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. lean — to bend
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. can — a tin
  9. root — the cause
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. root — of a plant
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — thin
  16. root — of a word
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. can — a tin
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. staff — a stick
  22. snap — to click
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. staff — employees

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