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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bound — certain
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. land — a country
  5. staff — employees
  6. mine — for digging
  7. land — ground
  8. fall — to drop
  9. land — to come down
  10. current — of water
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. fall — the season
  16. staff — employees
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — obliged
  19. current — electric
  20. current — happening now
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mark — a grade
  24. pass — a permit

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