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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. land — to come down
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bore — to tire
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — to wash
  12. land — a country
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. land — ground
  18. bore — to drill
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. saw — the tool
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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