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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: stick · march · mark · hand · mouse · staff · straw · scale

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mark — a grade
  5. march — music
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. march — the month
  8. mark — a trace
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. march — the month
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. staff — employees
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. staff — employees
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — help
  24. staff — a stick

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