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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. fall — to drop
  3. chip — to eat
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. current — electric
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — a list
  10. sharp — clever
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. fall — to drop
  15. current — of water
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chip — for betting
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. saw — the tool
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fall — the season
  24. saw — the tool

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