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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mug — a cup
  3. spring — the season
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. swing — to play on
  6. spring — a coil
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. court — for sport
  9. current — of water
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. spring — of water
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. staff — a stick
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. court — of law
  16. swing — in golf
  17. current — happening now
  18. mug — to rob
  19. court — of a king
  20. staff — employees
  21. perch — the fish
  22. mug — a face
  23. swing — music
  24. current — electric

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