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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.

Make a worksheet

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: sharp · stick · lean · staff · fan · hand · rest · pit

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — clever
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. lean — to bend
  11. pit — in a race
  12. rest — a break
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — thin
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. staff — a stick
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pit — a hole
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. hand — help

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