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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. capital — a city
  3. rock — a stone
  4. lie — to recline
  5. staff — employees
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. board — to get on
  9. staff — a stick
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. capital — money
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. staff — employees
  14. rock — music
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. file — a tool
  17. plane — a tool
  18. sharp — clever
  19. board — a committee
  20. file — a line of people
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. file — a document

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