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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  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. land — ground
  2. staff — employees
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bore — to tire
  6. march — music
  7. present — a gift
  8. current — electric
  9. saw — the tool
  10. current — happening now
  11. march — the month
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. staff — a stick
  14. land — to come down
  15. bore — to drill
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. march — the month
  19. staff — employees
  20. present — there
  21. land — a country
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. present — the time now
  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