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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 116 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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. staff — a stick
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rock — music
  6. chair — a leader
  7. current — of water
  8. current — electric
  9. staff — employees
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. staff — employees
  13. current — happening now
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. tube — the underground
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. saw — the tool
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. hide — animal skin

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