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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. board — a committee
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. toast — bread
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. kid — child
  8. mark — a grade
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. rash — hasty
  11. board — to get on
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. rash — a series
  18. stem — to come from
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. kid — to tease
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. stem — of a plant

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