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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. charge — a price
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. staff — employees
  6. scale — size or range
  7. staff — employees
  8. scale — in music
  9. current — electric
  10. spring — of water
  11. roll — a cake
  12. game — a match
  13. spring — a coil
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. charge — in control
  16. game — wild animals
  17. staff — a stick
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. spring — the season
  20. charge — electricity
  21. roll — a list
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. current — of water
  24. rush — hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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