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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. staff — employees
  5. clip — for paper
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. cold — an illness
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. cold — not warm
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. clip — a video
  17. staff — employees
  18. rock — music
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. shower — to wash
  24. rock — a stone

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