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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bat — the animal
  4. hand — help
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. charge — in control
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. sharp — clever
  9. staff — a stick
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. fork — in a road
  12. charge — electricity
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. staff — employees
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. can — a tin
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. charge — a price

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