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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. current — of water
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. staff — employees
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. current — electric
  12. object — an aim
  13. chair — a leader
  14. stock — shares
  15. object — a thing
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — goods
  18. current — happening now
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. staff — a stick
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. rest — a break
  23. object — to protest
  24. mine — for digging

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