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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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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: straw · mug · sharp · staff · pitcher · stick · bulb · mark

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. staff — employees
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bulb — for light
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mug — a face
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. staff — employees
  14. bulb — for light
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mug — a cup
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. staff — a stick
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. mug — to rob
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. mark — a grade

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