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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bat — the animal
  4. current — of water
  5. chest — of your body
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bound — tied together
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bound — obliged
  12. current — happening now
  13. staff — employees
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. staff — employees
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. current — electric
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bound — certain
  24. chest — a box

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