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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 116 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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cell — in biology
  4. current — happening now
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. can — a tin
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. key — for a lock
  11. staff — employees
  12. current — of water
  13. key — the most important part
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. key — in music
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. current — electric
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. cell — a phone
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. staff — a stick

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