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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. fine — all right
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. field — for sport
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. hand — in cards
  7. sharp — clever
  8. rock — music
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. staff — employees
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — farmland
  14. fine — high quality
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. staff — a stick
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. staff — employees

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