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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cap — a lid
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — to shout
  7. wind — moving air
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. cap — of ice
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mate — a partner
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mate — a friend
  14. cap — a hat
  15. staff — a stick
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. wind — moving air
  19. sharp — clever
  20. staff — employees
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. sharp — with an edge

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