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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. current — of water
  4. rest — a break
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. current — electric
  15. rest — what's left
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. current — happening now
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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