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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 124 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. spell — letters
  3. sharp — clever
  4. staff — employees
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. drill — army training
  7. drill — the tool
  8. file — a document
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. file — a line of people
  11. rock — music
  12. spell — magic
  13. rock — a stone
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. staff — a stick
  21. file — a tool
  22. pitch — completely
  23. drill — a practice
  24. spell — a short time

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