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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — a grade
  4. rest — what's left
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. rest — what's left
  10. staff — employees
  11. land — ground
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. land — a country
  14. current — electric
  15. land — to come down
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rest — a break
  18. last — finally
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. last — final
  21. current — of water
  22. last — to go on
  23. current — happening now
  24. rush — a thrill

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