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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. staff — employees
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. game — a match
  8. staff — a stick
  9. sharp — clever
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pop — soda
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. shower — rain
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. season — in sport
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — music
  20. staff — employees
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. season — of the year
  23. shower — to wash
  24. sharp — exactly

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