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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — music
  6. current — happening now
  7. lie — to recline
  8. sharp — clever
  9. season — of the year
  10. pitch — completely
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. rock — a stone
  15. shower — rain
  16. season — in sport
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. current — electric
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. current — of water
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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