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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.

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 · roll · staff · wake · saw · mate · pitcher · foot

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. mate — to breed
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. roll — a list
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. foot — a measure
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. staff — employees
  13. wake — a trail
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mate — a friend
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. mate — a partner
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. roll — a cake

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