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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. sharp — clever
  3. wound — an injury
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — in control
  7. shower — to wash
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. face — to confront
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. wound — an injury
  12. band — a music group
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. charge — electricity
  15. band — a ring
  16. face — part of the head
  17. stand — to bear
  18. staff — employees
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. face — to point toward
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. staff — employees
  24. shower — rain

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