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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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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 · board · rest · staff · swing · hand · mug · fork

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — help
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. fork — in a road
  6. rest — what's left
  7. staff — a stick
  8. board — to get on
  9. staff — employees
  10. sharp — clever
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. swing — in golf
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. staff — employees
  15. mug — a cup
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. rest — a break
  19. swing — to play on
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. swing — music
  22. mug — a face
  23. rest — what's left
  24. board — a committee

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