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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. sharp — clever
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. fine — all right
  7. wind — moving air
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. charge — electricity
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. current — of water
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — a price
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. current — happening now
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. current — electric

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