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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. charge — in control
  8. march — the month
  9. charge — a price
  10. kid — to tease
  11. degree — from a university
  12. staff — employees
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. degree — an amount
  15. march — music
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — child
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. charge — electricity
  21. degree — temperature
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. staff — a stick
  24. march — the month

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