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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. foot — a measure
  4. net — for catching
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. net — in sport
  7. staff — employees
  8. charge — in control
  9. charge — electricity
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. net — after costs
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. spring — of water
  14. charge — a price
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. spring — the season
  17. track — to keep track
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. spring — a coil
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. track — a path
  24. sharp — clever

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