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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mate — a partner
  3. staff — employees
  4. cap — a hat
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. cap — of ice
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. staff — a stick
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mate — a friend
  12. staff — employees
  13. season — in sport
  14. current — electric
  15. row — to paddle
  16. season — of the year
  17. mate — to breed
  18. current — of water
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — a line
  21. fork — in a road
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. cap — a lid
  24. current — happening now

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