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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. current — of water
  4. spring — the season
  5. current — electric
  6. fine — high quality
  7. spring — of water
  8. mine — for digging
  9. fine — all right
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. spring — a coil
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — to handle
  21. bear — the animal
  22. current — happening now
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. sharp — clever

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