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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. present — there
  7. lie — to recline
  8. roll — a cake
  9. current — electric
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. staff — a stick
  12. degree — temperature
  13. current — of water
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. present — the time now
  16. degree — from a university
  17. staff — employees
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. present — a gift
  20. roll — a list
  21. can — a tin
  22. current — happening now
  23. degree — an amount
  24. roll — on a roll

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