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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. scale — size or range
  5. mark — a grade
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rash — a series
  10. mate — a partner
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — certain
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mark — a trace
  18. rash — hasty
  19. scale — in music
  20. bound — obliged
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. prune — to trim
  23. staff — employees
  24. prune — to trim

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