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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. pit — in a race
  5. rest — what's left
  6. race — humankind
  7. wind — moving air
  8. race — a contest
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. fine — high quality
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. staff — employees
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pass — a permit
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. pit — a hole
  19. sharp — clever
  20. fine — all right
  21. wind — moving air
  22. race — the arms race
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. rest — a break

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