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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. fall — the season
  3. staff — employees
  4. chair — a leader
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. staff — employees
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. net — after costs
  9. fall — to drop
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. fall — to drop
  12. sharp — clever
  13. net — in sport
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — a short time
  17. craft — a skill
  18. net — for catching
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. spell — magic
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. staff — a stick
  24. chair — a professorship

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