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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. staff — employees
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. cap — a lid
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. staff — a stick
  7. spell — a short time
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. cap — of ice
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. wind — moving air
  13. staff — employees
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. cap — a hat
  16. wind — moving air
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — magic
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pound — a weight

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