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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. staff — employees
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. cold — not warm
  6. staff — a stick
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. staff — employees
  10. pit — in a race
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. pit — a hole
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — a list
  18. cold — an illness
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. toast — bread
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. rush — to hurry

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