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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. current — happening now
  4. mate — a partner
  5. roll — a list
  6. mate — to breed
  7. clip — a video
  8. staff — a stick
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. current — of water
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. current — electric
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. mate — a friend
  17. clip — to cut
  18. stock — shares
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. stock — goods
  22. clip — for paper
  23. roll — a cake
  24. stem — to come from

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