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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. current — electric
  3. spell — a short time
  4. staff — a stick
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — a series
  7. spell — magic
  8. board — to get on
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. staff — employees
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. craft — a skill
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. game — a match
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. craft — boats
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. game — wild animals
  21. current — happening now
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. current — of water
  24. spell — letters

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