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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. charge — electricity
  5. staff — employees
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. staff — a stick
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. swing — in golf
  10. charge — in control
  11. staff — employees
  12. sharp — clever
  13. hand — help
  14. swing — music
  15. charge — a price
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to click
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — hurry

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