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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. staff — a stick
  3. bark — to shout
  4. fine — all right
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. suit — to fit
  7. rest — a break
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. suit — clothes
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. staff — employees
  12. deal — to handle
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. suit — in cards
  15. rest — what's left
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. fine — high quality
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. staff — employees
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a match
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bark — of a tree

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