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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · kick · leaves · cap · fall · ruler

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cap — a lid
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. cap — a hat
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. fall — to drop
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cap — of ice
  15. fall — to drop
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. kick — in football
  18. fall — the season

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