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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 120 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. kid — child
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. staff — a stick
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. staff — employees
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. perch — the fish
  16. squash — to crush
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wake — a trail
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — to tease

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