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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. staff — employees
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. tube — a container
  8. bass — low music
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. tube — the underground
  12. staff — a stick
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. mate — to breed
  16. row — a line
  17. mate — a partner
  18. staff — employees
  19. bass — the fish
  20. saw — the tool
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. row — to paddle

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