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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. current — happening now
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. chip — for betting
  6. staff — employees
  7. bulb — for light
  8. current — of water
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. staff — employees
  14. field — for sport
  15. current — electric
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. staff — a stick
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. pass — a permit
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bulb — for light
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — a subject
  24. bulb — of a plant

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