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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. kid — to tease
  3. face — part of the head
  4. current — electric
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — thin
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. current — happening now
  9. lean — to bend
  10. face — to confront
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. drill — the tool
  13. face — to point toward
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. drill — army training
  17. kid — child
  18. rock — a stone
  19. fork — in a road
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. current — of water
  24. rock — to move gently

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