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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. staff — employees
  4. lean — thin
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pass — a permit
  7. season — of the year
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. kid — to tease
  10. root — of a plant
  11. staff — employees
  12. file — a tool
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. kid — child
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. file — a document
  19. lean — to bend
  20. root — of a word
  21. dip — to sink
  22. file — a line of people
  23. root — the cause
  24. season — in sport

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