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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. staff — employees
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. mug — a face
  6. row — to paddle
  7. pass — a permit
  8. mug — to rob
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. rock — a stone
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. race — the arms race
  14. staff — a stick
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. mug — a cup
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bark — to shout
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. rock — music
  21. race — a contest
  22. row — a line
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. race — humankind

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