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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. band — a music group
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. net — after costs
  5. staff — employees
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. sharp — clever
  9. band — a ring
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. staff — a stick
  13. game — a match
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. game — wild animals
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. net — for catching
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. net — in sport
  24. staff — employees

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