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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. staff — employees
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. roll — a list
  7. staff — a stick
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. pop — music
  10. fork — in a road
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. lie — to recline
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. roll — a cake
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pop — to visit
  20. wake — a trail
  21. staff — employees
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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