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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 124 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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  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. sharp — exactly
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. clip — for paper
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. staff — employees
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. clip — to cut
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. staff — employees
  12. object — to protest
  13. staff — a stick
  14. sharp — clever
  15. cell — a phone
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. clip — a video
  18. object — an aim
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rest — what's left
  23. object — a thing
  24. cell — in biology

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