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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 · bay · bat · straw · ruler · wake · leaves · content

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. staff — employees
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. wake — a trail
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. content — the amount
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bat — the animal
  18. staff — employees
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — happy
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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