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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. staff — employees
  6. bank — of a river
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bank — for money
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a line
  11. staff — employees
  12. bank — for money
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. pitch — completely
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. capital — money
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — part of the head
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. face — to confront

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