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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: date · rush · leaves · staff · stick · present · rash · cold

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. staff — employees
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. present — a gift
  8. cold — an illness
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. present — there
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. present — the time now
  13. staff — employees
  14. date — the fruit
  15. staff — a stick
  16. rash — hasty
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. rash — a series
  20. rush — hurry
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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