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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bass — the fish
  3. board — to get on
  4. spell — magic
  5. staff — employees
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. face — part of the head
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wax — to grow
  13. face — to point toward
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bass — low music
  16. staff — a stick
  17. spell — letters
  18. face — to confront
  19. snap — to click
  20. spell — a short time
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — a committee
  24. wax — for sculpting

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