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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. lie — to recline
  3. spell — letters
  4. staff — employees
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. spell — magic
  9. snap — to click
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. content — the amount
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. sharp — clever
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. band — a music group
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. content — happy
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. band — a ring
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. staff — a stick
  24. spell — a short time

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