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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. can — to be able to
  3. court — of a king
  4. can — a tin
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. suit — to fit
  8. row — a line
  9. charge — a price
  10. court — for sport
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — to paddle
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. can — a tin
  17. charge — electricity
  18. suit — in cards
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. charge — in control
  21. court — of law
  22. sharp — clever
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. suit — clothes

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