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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. staff — a stick
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. rock — a stone
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. charge — in control
  8. drill — a practice
  9. charge — a price
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. staff — employees
  14. drill — army training
  15. sharp — clever
  16. charge — electricity
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. staff — employees
  21. ground — the earth
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. drill — the tool

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