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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. spring — a coil
  4. mark — a grade
  5. suit — in cards
  6. staff — employees
  7. firm — steady
  8. suit — to fit
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. spring — of water
  11. root — of a plant
  12. saw — the tool
  13. spring — the season
  14. sharp — clever
  15. saw — the tool
  16. firm — decided
  17. suit — clothes
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. root — the cause
  20. firm — a company
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. staff — employees
  24. root — of a word

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