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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. saw — the tool
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. press — to push
  6. sharp — clever
  7. object — a thing
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. staff — employees
  12. object — to protest
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — newspapers
  16. last — finally
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — boats
  19. object — an aim
  20. last — to go on
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. saw — the tool
  24. craft — a skill

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