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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 120 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. staff — a stick
  3. chest — a box
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. chest — of your body
  6. key — the most important part
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. fall — to drop
  9. key — for a lock
  10. current — happening now
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stand — to bear
  13. current — of water
  14. fall — the season
  15. tube — a container
  16. fall — to drop
  17. staff — employees
  18. squash — the sport
  19. key — in music
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — the underground
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. staff — employees

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