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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  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. staff — employees
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. staff — employees
  7. rule — government
  8. current — of water
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. capital — a city
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — electric
  19. wake — a trail
  20. staff — a stick
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. capital — money
  23. rule — a law
  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