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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 116 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. bank — of a river
  8. rock — a stone
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. staff — employees
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. staff — a stick
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. staff — employees
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. sharp — clever
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bank — for money
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bank — for money
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. sharp — with an edge

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