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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. sharp — clever
  4. staff — employees
  5. track — to keep track
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. track — a path
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. capital — a city
  10. staff — a stick
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — for digging
  13. stem — to come from
  14. capital — money
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. current — of water
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. track — a song
  21. current — electric
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. staff — employees
  24. capital — a big letter

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