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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — employees
  5. key — the most important part
  6. kid — child
  7. cue — for pool
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bound — tied together
  10. cue — a signal
  11. key — in music
  12. bound — obliged
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. present — a gift
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — to tease
  17. suit — to fit
  18. present — there
  19. cue — a hint
  20. key — for a lock
  21. bound — certain
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. suit — in cards
  24. present — the time now

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