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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. staff — employees
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. rule — a law
  7. face — part of the head
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. face — to point toward
  11. sharp — clever
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. stem — to come from
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. rule — government
  19. face — to confront
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. staff — a stick
  23. mine — for digging
  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