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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. staff — employees
  3. track — to keep track
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. current — of water
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bore — to drill
  10. track — a song
  11. staff — employees
  12. bore — to tire
  13. track — a path
  14. band — a music group
  15. fine — all right
  16. staff — a stick
  17. wake — a trail
  18. band — a ring
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — electric
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — a position
  23. fine — high quality
  24. ground — the earth

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