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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. net — for catching
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. staff — employees
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. net — after costs
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. net — in sport
  16. capital — money
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. content — the amount
  19. lie — to recline
  20. capital — a city
  21. staff — a stick
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. content — happy

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