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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. rock — music
  5. bat — the animal
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — completely
  9. current — happening now
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. current — of water
  13. degree — an amount
  14. root — of a word
  15. current — electric
  16. degree — from a university
  17. root — the cause
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. degree — temperature
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. root — of a plant
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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