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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rest — what's left
  3. board — to get on
  4. staff — a stick
  5. pass — a permit
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. shower — rain
  8. staff — employees
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. face — to point toward
  12. board — a committee
  13. face — to confront
  14. ball — a dance
  15. face — part of the head
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. rest — a break
  19. root — of a plant
  20. ball — a great time
  21. shower — to wash
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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