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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. staff — employees
  4. file — a document
  5. club — for golf
  6. file — a line of people
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bank — of a river
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bank — for money
  13. court — of law
  14. cold — an illness
  15. file — a tool
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. court — of a king
  19. cold — not warm
  20. court — for sport
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — a group
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bank — for money

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