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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. track — a path
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. board — to get on
  5. track — a song
  6. band — a ring
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. band — a music group
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. board — a committee
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. staff — employees
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. track — to keep track
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. staff — a stick

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