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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.

Make a worksheet

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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. toast — bread
  3. wind — moving air
  4. staff — employees
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. foot — a measure
  9. wind — moving air
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. sharp — clever
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person

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