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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 hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. court — of a king
  3. sharp — clever
  4. shower — rain
  5. press — newspapers
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. staff — employees
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. court — for sport
  13. staff — a stick
  14. board — a committee
  15. chip — to eat
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — to wash
  18. chip — for betting
  19. press — a publisher
  20. board — to get on
  21. press — to push
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. court — of law

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