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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. prune — to trim
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. last — finally
  7. current — happening now
  8. last — to go on
  9. game — a match
  10. last — final
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. prune — to trim
  15. current — of water
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. current — electric
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. game — wild animals
  23. foot — a measure
  24. prune — 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