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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. hand — in cards
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. staff — employees
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. roll — a cake
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. staff — a stick
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. staff — employees
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. pitch — completely
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. hand — help
  21. wax — to grow
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. wake — a trail
  24. roll — a list

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