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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. staff — employees
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. current — happening now
  6. land — ground
  7. rock — a stone
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bat — the animal
  10. staff — employees
  11. current — electric
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. land — a country
  14. tear — to rip
  15. current — of water
  16. staff — a stick
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. stand — to bear
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rock — music
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. tear — from crying
  24. land — to come down

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