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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. rash — a series
  5. current — happening now
  6. lean — thin
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — clever
  11. plane — a tool
  12. current — electric
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. current — of water
  16. rash — hasty
  17. squash — to crush
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. squash — the sport
  21. pit — a hole
  22. lean — to bend
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. lean — to rest against

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