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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 one o'clock ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. spell — letters
  3. fall — to drop
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. spell — a short time
  7. staff — employees
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. rest — what's left
  10. fall — to drop
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. spell — magic
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. rest — a break
  15. deal — to handle
  16. squash — the sport
  17. staff — employees
  18. squash — to crush
  19. fall — the season
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. rest — what's left
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. staff — a stick

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