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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stem — to come from
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. sharp — clever
  7. degree — temperature
  8. court — of law
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. staff — a stick
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. court — for sport
  15. bass — low music
  16. degree — an amount
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. wax — to grow
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bass — the fish
  22. staff — employees
  23. court — of a king
  24. sharp — exactly

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