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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. current — happening now
  3. staff — employees
  4. row — a line
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. scale — in music
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. cold — not warm
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. scale — size or range
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. rest — what's left
  15. row — to paddle
  16. current — electric
  17. rest — what's left
  18. current — of water
  19. staff — a stick
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. staff — employees
  23. rest — a break
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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