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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: suit · staff · file · calf · last · face · pitcher · straw

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. face — part of the head
  3. staff — a stick
  4. last — to go on
  5. face — to point toward
  6. staff — employees
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. suit — in cards
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. file — a line of people
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. file — a document
  13. suit — clothes
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. file — a tool
  17. face — to confront
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. last — finally
  20. suit — to fit
  21. last — final
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. calf — a young animal

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