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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. swing — to play on
  3. staff — employees
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. swing — music
  6. present — the time now
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. present — there
  9. present — a gift
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — farmland
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — a law
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — clever
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. field — for sport
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. staff — a stick
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. swing — in golf

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