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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. staff — employees
  3. ground — a position
  4. staff — employees
  5. current — happening now
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. march — the month
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. current — electric
  11. ground — the earth
  12. mate — a partner
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. ground — crushed
  16. mate — a friend
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. current — of water
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — all right
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bowl — a football final

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