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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. mate — a friend
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — employees
  6. mate — to breed
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. staff — a stick
  9. swing — in golf
  10. current — electric
  11. firm — decided
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — of water
  14. cold — an illness
  15. swing — to play on
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. swing — music
  19. cold — not warm
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. firm — a company
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. mate — a partner
  24. firm — steady

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