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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 116 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. file — a line of people
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. mark — a grade
  6. plane — a tool
  7. net — after costs
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bass — low music
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — the fish
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a tool
  19. rest — a break
  20. net — in sport
  21. mark — a trace
  22. net — for catching
  23. staff — employees
  24. rest — what's left

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