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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. press — newspapers
  5. hand — in cards
  6. cell — a phone
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — a skill
  9. staff — a stick
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. craft — boats
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. staff — employees
  15. game — wild animals
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. press — to push
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. press — a publisher
  20. staff — employees
  21. sharp — clever
  22. hand — help
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cell — in biology

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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