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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mug — a cup
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — child
  6. mug — a face
  7. rest — what's left
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wound — an injury
  10. staff — employees
  11. drill — the tool
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. wound — an injury
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. staff — employees
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. sharp — clever
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. drill — a practice
  22. mug — to rob
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. drill — army training

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