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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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. staff — a stick
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — a phone
  9. sharp — clever
  10. file — a line of people
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. rash — a series
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. file — a document
  16. staff — employees
  17. file — a tool
  18. season — in sport
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. staff — employees
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. season — of the year

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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