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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 120 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. staff — employees
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. staff — employees
  6. rush — hurry
  7. pop — to visit
  8. row — a line
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. pop — soda
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. pop — music
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. sharp — clever
  19. deal — to handle
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. staff — a stick
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. row — to paddle
  24. perch — the fish

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