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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. tear — to rip
  6. scale — size or range
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. scale — in music
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — clever
  11. rash — a series
  12. staff — a stick
  13. present — a gift
  14. staff — employees
  15. mark — a trace
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. present — there
  20. mark — a grade
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. staff — employees

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