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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 120 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. ground — crushed
  3. staff — employees
  4. squash — to crush
  5. sharp — clever
  6. face — to point toward
  7. rest — what's left
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. ground — a position
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. rest — a break
  14. staff — a stick
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. face — to confront
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. face — part of the head
  19. squash — the sport
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. ground — the earth
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. rest — what's left
  24. sharp — exactly

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