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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of law
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. dip — to sink
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — of ice
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bark — to shout
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. lie — to recline
  21. court — of a king
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. leaves — lets stay

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