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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to confront
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. mate — a friend
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a document
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. sharp — clever
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. face — to point toward
  13. file — a tool
  14. deal — to handle
  15. staff — a stick
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. mate — a partner
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. staff — employees
  23. lie — to recline
  24. mate — to breed

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