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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 one o'clock ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. pop — soda
  3. staff — a stick
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. staff — employees
  6. sharp — clever
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. charge — in control
  10. pop — to visit
  11. board — to get on
  12. pop — music
  13. charge — a price
  14. staff — employees
  15. charge — electricity
  16. scale — size or range
  17. face — to confront
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. face — to point toward
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. scale — in music
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. face — part of the head
  24. board — a committee

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