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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. staff — employees
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. capital — a city
  6. staff — a stick
  7. rush — hurry
  8. capital — money
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. current — happening now
  14. season — in sport
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. current — electric
  20. season — of the year
  21. bark — to shout
  22. staff — employees
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. current — of water

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