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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. current — happening now
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. snap — to click
  5. band — a ring
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. band — a music group
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. current — of water
  11. key — for a lock
  12. staff — employees
  13. mine — for digging
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. staff — a stick
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. key — in music
  19. key — the most important part
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. current — electric
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. mine — belonging to me

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