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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. sharp — clever
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. lean — thin
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. hand — help
  10. lean — to bend
  11. prune — to trim
  12. clip — to cut
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. staff — employees
  16. clip — a video
  17. stand — to bear
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. clip — for paper
  24. nail — for a hammer

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