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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — happening now
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. current — electric
  5. ball — a great time
  6. plane — a tool
  7. pit — a hole
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. pit — in a race
  11. wound — an injury
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wound — an injury
  14. drill — a practice
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. ball — a dance
  17. drill — army training
  18. pit — a fruit stone

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