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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. drill — the tool
  7. current — electric
  8. staff — a stick
  9. drill — a practice
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stand — to bear
  12. staff — employees
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. drill — army training
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. current — of water
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. staff — employees
  24. row — a line

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