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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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468
Word bank
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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 hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. chest — of your body
  3. sharp — clever
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. staff — a stick
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. ball — a dance
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. chair — a leader
  17. fork — in a road
  18. staff — employees
  19. chest — a box
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chest — of your body
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — exactly

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