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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. pitch — completely
  3. band — a music group
  4. branch — a division
  5. craft — a skill
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. craft — boats
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pit — a hole
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. band — a ring
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. staff — a stick
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pit — in a race

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