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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — clever
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. stand — to bear
  6. spell — letters
  7. staff — employees
  8. bound — tied together
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. game — a match
  14. perch — the fish
  15. staff — a stick
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bound — certain
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. pop — music
  20. staff — employees
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bound — obliged
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — a short 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