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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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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 · pit · staff · kid · bear · foot · pass · cap

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. staff — employees
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pass — a permit
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. foot — a measure
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — of ice
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bear — the animal
  19. kid — to tease
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — in a race
  23. kid — child
  24. pass — to spend time

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