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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 116 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. current — of water
  4. current — happening now
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bound — obliged
  7. staff — employees
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mate — a partner
  10. current — electric
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. staff — employees
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mark — a grade
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. hand — help
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — certain
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. staff — a stick
  24. hand — in cards

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