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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. spell — a short time
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — clever
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. spell — letters
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. spell — magic
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. fine — all right
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — electric
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. fine — high quality
  20. plane — a tool
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sports field

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