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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. staff — employees
  6. mine — for digging
  7. fine — all right
  8. staff — a stick
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — in music
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. key — the most important part
  15. wound — an injury
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. fine — high quality
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. wound — an injury
  24. staff — employees

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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