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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. present — the time now
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. content — happy
  8. present — there
  9. lean — to bend
  10. rest — what's left
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. shower — rain
  13. rest — a break
  14. lean — thin
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. rest — what's left
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. shower — to wash
  20. present — a gift
  21. content — the amount
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. staff — employees
  24. pound — a weight

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