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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. current — happening now
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pass — a permit
  10. staff — a stick
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. current — of water
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. current — electric
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. last — finally
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. last — to go on
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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