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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.

Make a worksheet

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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. march — music
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. key — in music
  6. rush — hurry
  7. saw — the tool
  8. key — the most important part
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. march — the month
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. staff — employees
  16. march — the month
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. staff — a stick
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. perch — the fish
  24. key — for a lock

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