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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 120 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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. wind — moving air
  3. club — for golf
  4. current — happening now
  5. club — a group
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. drill — army training
  8. current — of water
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bat — the animal
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. rush — hurry
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. staff — employees
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. current — electric
  21. drill — the tool
  22. staff — employees
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. club — for dancing

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