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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. staff — employees
  5. date — the fruit
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — a video
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — a law
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. rule — government
  17. key — in music
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — for a lock
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. clip — to cut
  24. lash — an eyelash

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