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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bear — the animal
  3. staff — employees
  4. land — to come down
  5. sharp — clever
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. court — for sport
  8. land — ground
  9. squash — the sport
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. court — of a king
  13. staff — employees
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. saw — the tool
  16. court — of law
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. land — a country
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. saw — the tool
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. squash — to crush
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bear — the animal

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