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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 124 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 hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. file — a tool
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cue — a signal
  5. staff — a stick
  6. file — a line of people
  7. face — to point toward
  8. board — to get on
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. sharp — clever
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. face — to confront
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. face — part of the head
  16. staff — employees
  17. file — a document
  18. content — happy
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. board — a committee
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. content — the amount
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cue — for pool

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