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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. staff — a stick
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. game — a match
  7. present — there
  8. staff — employees
  9. sharp — clever
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. prune — to trim
  12. game — wild animals
  13. rash — hasty
  14. staff — employees
  15. present — a gift
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. present — the time now
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. prune — to trim
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. coach — a trainer

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