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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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. stick — a piece of wood
  4. saw — the tool
  5. staff — employees
  6. bound — certain
  7. prune — to trim
  8. charge — in control
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. charge — a price
  13. saw — the tool
  14. charge — electricity
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bound — obliged
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. staff — a stick
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bound — tied together
  24. prune — the fruit

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