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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 116 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. firm — decided
  3. rule — a law
  4. firm — a company
  5. march — music
  6. current — happening now
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. fork — in a road
  9. firm — steady
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cell — in biology
  12. march — the month
  13. rule — government
  14. staff — a stick
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. current — of water
  18. staff — employees
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cell — a phone
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. current — electric
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. march — the month

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