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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. staff — a stick
  4. field — farmland
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. staff — employees
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. board — a committee
  10. firm — steady
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — not warm
  13. staff — employees
  14. saw — the tool
  15. firm — a company
  16. field — a subject
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. field — for sport
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. firm — decided
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. board — to get on

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