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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. firm — steady
  5. current — electric
  6. last — final
  7. last — finally
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rock — music
  10. last — to go on
  11. lie — to recline
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. firm — a company
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bat — the animal
  16. spell — magic
  17. firm — decided
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. current — of water
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. current — happening now
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bat — in an idiom

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