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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 120 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. last — finally
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. last — final
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — electric
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. stem — to come from
  12. current — of water
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pit — a hole
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. last — to go on
  23. mine — for digging
  24. shower — rain

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