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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fine · chair · staff · snap · sharp · spell · stick · foot

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. staff — employees
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. foot — a measure
  7. spell — magic
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. staff — a stick
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. spell — a short time
  12. chair — a leader
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. fine — high quality
  15. staff — employees
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. sharp — clever
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. snap — to click
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — all right

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