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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 120 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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. wound — an injury
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. present — a gift
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. object — an aim
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. charge — in control
  11. object — a thing
  12. sharp — clever
  13. present — there
  14. charge — a price
  15. present — the time now
  16. staff — employees
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. charge — electricity
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. object — to protest
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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