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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. 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. pop — to visit
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. saw — the tool
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. mark — a grade
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. staff — employees
  10. scale — size or range
  11. mate — a partner
  12. pop — soda
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. pop — music
  17. saw — the tool
  18. staff — a stick
  19. sharp — clever
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — to breed
  24. 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