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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. last — finally
  4. can — to be able to
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. shower — rain
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. can — a tin
  13. last — to go on
  14. wake — a trail
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. roll — a cake
  17. mine — for digging
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. staff — a stick
  20. last — final
  21. can — a tin
  22. staff — employees
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. shower — to wash

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