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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. branch — a division
  3. bound — certain
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bound — tied together
  6. last — finally
  7. last — final
  8. season — in sport
  9. staff — a stick
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. sharp — clever
  12. season — of the year
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. staff — employees
  15. cue — for pool
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — a hint
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bound — obliged
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. last — to go on

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