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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fall — to drop
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. fall — to drop
  5. staff — a stick
  6. track — to keep track
  7. squash — the sport
  8. track — a path
  9. fall — the season
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. prune — to trim
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. chair — a leader
  18. squash — to crush
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. prune — to trim
  21. track — a song
  22. staff — employees
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. straw — a straw man

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