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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. season — of the year
  4. saw — the tool
  5. current — electric
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. firm — decided
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. mine — for digging
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. firm — steady
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pop — music
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. current — happening now
  20. sharp — clever
  21. season — in sport
  22. firm — a company
  23. pop — to visit
  24. current — of water

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