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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. spell — a short time
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. staff — a stick
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — a group
  8. spell — magic
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. spell — letters
  13. staff — employees
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. staff — employees
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. wound — an injury
  19. sharp — clever
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. club — for dancing
  22. snap — to click
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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