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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. band — a music group
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. current — happening now
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. staff — employees
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. band — a ring
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. saw — the tool
  14. current — electric
  15. hand — in cards
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. current — of water
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. saw — the tool
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. pit — in a race
  24. hand — help

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