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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. deal — to handle
  3. current — electric
  4. current — happening now
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bass — the fish
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. pit — in a race
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bass — low music
  14. current — of water
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bat — the animal
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. deal — a big deal

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