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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. current — electric
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bore — to tire
  7. march — music
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. net — in sport
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. net — after costs
  12. current — of water
  13. bore — to drill
  14. march — the month
  15. net — for catching
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. march — the month
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. current — happening now
  24. staff — employees

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