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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. bound — certain
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. sharp — clever
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. staff — a stick
  9. pass — a permit
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bound — tied together
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. staff — employees
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — help
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bound — obliged
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. stand — to bear

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