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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. pit — a hole
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. fine — high quality
  6. staff — employees
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. present — the time now
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. present — a gift
  13. toast — bread
  14. pit — in a race
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. degree — an amount
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. degree — temperature
  21. snap — to click
  22. present — there
  23. staff — employees
  24. fine — all right

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