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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. staff — a stick
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. staff — employees
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. land — a country
  7. sharp — clever
  8. land — to come down
  9. lie — to recline
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. land — ground
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. march — the month
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. staff — employees
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. stand — to bear
  24. lie — an untruth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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