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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. last — final
  3. band — a ring
  4. lean — to bend
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. last — to go on
  9. staff — employees
  10. last — finally
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. staff — a stick
  13. band — a music group
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. charge — a price
  16. staff — employees
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. charge — electricity
  19. lean — thin
  20. charge — in control
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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