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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. content — happy
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. kick — in football
  12. content — the amount
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. land — ground
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. land — a country
  17. track — to keep track
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. track — a song
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a music group
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. band — a ring
  24. track — a path

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