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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 one o'clock ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. suit — clothes
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. staff — employees
  6. field — farmland
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. present — the time now
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. present — there
  11. present — a gift
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. field — for sport
  14. hand — in cards
  15. craft — a skill
  16. suit — to fit
  17. suit — in cards
  18. hand — help
  19. staff — employees
  20. craft — boats
  21. sharp — clever
  22. field — a subject
  23. clip — to cut
  24. staff — a stick

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