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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 112 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. staff — employees
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — all right
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cell — a phone
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. season — of the year
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. net — for catching
  13. bark — to shout
  14. cell — in biology
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. net — after costs
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. net — in sport
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. season — in sport
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. saw — the tool

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