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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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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. staff — employees
  3. firm — steady
  4. row — to paddle
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. press — to push
  7. press — a publisher
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. net — after costs
  10. mate — to breed
  11. sharp — clever
  12. press — newspapers
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. firm — decided
  15. mate — a partner
  16. firm — a company
  17. staff — a stick
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. staff — employees
  23. mate — a friend
  24. row — a line

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