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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. lie — to recline
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. snap — to click
  10. squash — to crush
  11. fork — in a road
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. staff — employees
  15. net — after costs
  16. squash — the sport
  17. wake — a trail
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. net — for catching
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. staff — employees
  24. net — in sport

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