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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. board — to get on
  5. staff — employees
  6. bore — to drill
  7. board — a committee
  8. tube — a container
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bore — to tire
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. hand — in cards
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. degree — an amount
  18. hand — help
  19. degree — from a university
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. staff — a stick
  24. tube — in a tire

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