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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. rash — a series
  7. fork — in a road
  8. mark — a grade
  9. pitch — completely
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. kid — to tease
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. staff — employees
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. rash — hasty
  19. mark — a trace
  20. staff — employees
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. kid — child
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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