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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. land — ground
  3. staff — employees
  4. deal — to handle
  5. staff — a stick
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — a measure
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. land — to come down
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. chest — a box
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. staff — employees
  15. drill — army training
  16. land — a country
  17. wake — a trail
  18. drill — the tool
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to sink
  21. drill — a practice
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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