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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 120 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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rule — government
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. file — a tool
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. tube — the underground
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. file — a line of people
  12. lean — thin
  13. current — happening now
  14. lean — to bend
  15. current — electric
  16. file — a document
  17. current — of water
  18. rule — a law
  19. tube — a container
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. staff — employees

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