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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. staff — employees
  6. degree — from a university
  7. scale — in music
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. rule — government
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. staff — employees
  17. bear — the animal
  18. march — music
  19. rule — a law
  20. degree — an amount
  21. pitch — completely
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. degree — temperature
  24. scale — size or range

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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