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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. fine — all right
  3. sharp — clever
  4. current — of water
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. staff — employees
  7. spell — magic
  8. fine — high quality
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. court — of a king
  11. suit — in cards
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. suit — to fit
  14. row — to paddle
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. spell — letters
  17. suit — clothes
  18. current — electric
  19. court — of law
  20. court — for sport
  21. current — happening now
  22. row — a line
  23. staff — employees
  24. spell — a short time

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