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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — a short time
  3. chest — of your body
  4. staff — a stick
  5. object — an aim
  6. staff — employees
  7. spell — magic
  8. chest — of your body
  9. clip — for paper
  10. key — for a lock
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. current — of water
  13. tube — a container
  14. object — to protest
  15. key — in music
  16. object — a thing
  17. tube — the underground
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — a video
  20. current — electric
  21. chest — a box
  22. key — the most important part
  23. staff — employees
  24. current — happening now

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