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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. swing — in golf
  5. rash — hasty
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. wake — a trail
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. fork — in a road
  13. swing — music
  14. mate — a friend
  15. swing — to play on
  16. rash — a series
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. staff — employees
  19. mate — a partner
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. staff — employees
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. mate — to breed

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