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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. march — the month
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mate — a friend
  7. staff — employees
  8. dip — to sink
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. staff — a stick
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. march — the month
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. march — music
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. squash — the sport
  21. rash — a series
  22. mate — a partner
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mate — to breed

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