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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rule — a law
  6. chest — a box
  7. sharp — clever
  8. rule — government
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. staff — a stick
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. net — after costs
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. bat — the animal
  15. stand — to bear
  16. net — in sport
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. net — for catching
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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