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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cell — a phone
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. dip — to sink
  5. current — happening now
  6. staff — employees
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. staff — a stick
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. cell — in biology
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. current — electric
  13. foot — a measure
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pound — a weight
  16. game — a match
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. current — of water
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. game — wild animals

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