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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. shower — rain
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. shower — to wash
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. staff — a stick
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. saw — the tool
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. staff — employees
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. land — a country
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pound — a weight
  19. saw — the tool
  20. land — ground
  21. land — to come down
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. toast — bread
  24. straw — dry grass

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