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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bound — tied together
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rest — a break
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bound — obliged
  15. current — happening now
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. mine — for digging
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bound — certain
  20. rest — what's left
  21. current — electric
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. current — of water
  24. rest — what's left

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