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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 116 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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. staff — employees
  3. mark — a trace
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. court — of law
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. rule — a law
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wax — to grow
  14. court — for sport
  15. march — the month
  16. court — of a king
  17. march — music
  18. mark — a grade
  19. staff — a stick
  20. rule — government
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. march — the month
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. staff — employees

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