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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. current — happening now
  3. staff — employees
  4. shower — rain
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. land — a country
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. current — of water
  10. stand — to bear
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. current — electric
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. land — to come down
  15. staff — employees
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. rush — hurry
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. chair — a leader
  22. staff — a stick
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. date — the fruit

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