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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — of water
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wound — an injury
  8. current — electric
  9. game — a match
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. mark — a trace
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. march — music
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to bend
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mark — a grade
  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