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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. prune — to trim
  6. shower — to wash
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. chair — a leader
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. staff — a stick
  15. sharp — clever
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. rule — government
  18. shower — rain
  19. rule — a law
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. staff — employees
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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