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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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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rest — what's left
  3. game — wild animals
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — in sport
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. rest — what's left
  9. cap — of ice
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. race — the arms race
  13. scale — size or range
  14. rest — a break
  15. net — for catching
  16. cap — a lid
  17. staff — a stick
  18. scale — in music
  19. race — a contest
  20. staff — employees
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. game — a match
  23. race — humankind
  24. cap — a hat

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