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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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. cell — in biology
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — electric
  5. object — to protest
  6. present — the time now
  7. board — to get on
  8. object — a thing
  9. staff — employees
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. hand — in cards
  12. object — an aim
  13. present — a gift
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pitch — completely
  16. board — a committee
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. current — of water
  22. present — there
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. cell — a phone

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