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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pass — a permit
  6. current — happening now
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. staff — employees
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. hand — in cards
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. clip — for paper
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. staff — employees
  20. current — electric
  21. fork — in a road
  22. hand — help
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. current — of water

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